Frozen Shamrocks
by DemonCat008
Summary: Jack meets Seamus O'reiley, a fellow spirit, at an irish festival in the year 2000. After sparks fly briefly, they don't see each other again. Until the Guardians need them that is. What will happen between them as they face the greatest threat they've ever faced? And why do I still suck at summaries? *cough* yaoi *cough*
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer : I don't own ROTG, or Shilelagh Law, or Seamus Kennedy, or Hunter Mountain Irish Festival, or New York, or... I think you get the jist.**_

* * *

Jack Frost was bored. It was the end of Summer in New York, and it was a chilly Saturday day. Jack decided to head up to Hunter Mountain, knowing there was a festival or something. He assumed not many people would be there, considering it was so high in altitude.

He was wrong. People swarmed around the festival, buying things and laughing. Jack perched atop the roof of a hotel lodge and stared.

"What are you doing on the roof?" A boy asked, crouching next to him and scaring him half to death. He had short, fiery ginger hair that was buzzed on the sides. His eyes were greenish blue and twinkled with mirth. He reminded Jack of a Leprechaun with the freckles splattered along his cheekbones and nose. His outfit was simple, black jeans, a dark green shirt, and tap shoes. Then Jack realized something.

"Wait, you can see me?" He said. He chuckled.

"Of course I can. I'm a spirit too, so don't get your hopes up. What are you doing at the Irish Festival?" He asked.

"So that's what it is." Jack muttered. "Who are you?"

"Seamus O'reiley. Nice to meet ya, Jack." Seamus said, extending a hand for him to shake. Jack shook it politely and eyed the other spirit curiously. "So..."

"Ya seem bored. You should stick around. They have an bag pipe rock band at 6:15." Seamus said, pointing to a large white tent. Jack laughed.

"A bag pipe rock band?" Jack repeated.

"They're a funny bunch. So, what do you say? There are fireworks at 10." Seamus said, holding out his hand to pull Jack up. Jack smiled and took his hand.

"Deal."

* * *

Thus Jack and Seamus spent the day running around, looking at knickknacks here and there, eating crepes from the stand, and listening to the bands.

"It's 6:15! They're starting!" Seamus exclaimed, grabbing Jack's hand and pulling him towards the main tent. Jack blushed slightly at the contact but ignored the flustered feeling. Seamus pulled him to a clearing towards the back of the open tent and let go of Jack's hand.

They spent the next hour listening to the band, laughing at some of the song selections and bouncing on their heels to se of the songs.

It was the second to last song. They played 'God Bless America'. Seamus closed his eyes and smiled slightly, taking in the powerful sounds of the bag pipe and the drums. Jack watched Seamus sway slightly to the melody, and smiled, leaning against his staff. He felt oddly calm around the light-footed Irish spirit.

Seamus cheered the band as they readied for the next song. Seamus grinned at Jack, who smiled back.

"See? I told you they were awesome!" Seamus laughed.

"They're amazing." Jack chuckled. They looked to the stage as they began the final song.

"Just a small town girl, living in a lonely world! Took the midnight train going anywhere!" the crowd bellowed. Seamus beamed.

"Just a city boy! Born an' raised in South Detroit! Took the midnight train going anywhere!" Seamus sang along, bouncing on the balls of his feet and smiling. Jack had to admit to himself, he had a nice voice. He zoned out slightly, watching the other boy with a small smile.

"Hey, you alright?" Seamus asked, placing a hand on Jack's shoulder and smiling in amusement. Jack snapped out of his trance and shook his head clear of thought.

"Mhmm." Jack said, blinking rapidly to pull himself back. He noticed that the tent had cleared out a lot.

"Alright, the step dancers are next. They go until 8. Interested?" Seamus asked. Jack agreed and they moved closer. They watched with interest as the girls and boys pounded melodies into the ground with elegant, graceful steps. They announced a song that they called the 'Spirit and the Girl'.

"What?" Jack asked Seamus. But Seamus had slipped onto the dance floor and sent Jack a grin before the music started. A girl in gold and black entered and to the watchers, it would look like she was dancing alone. But Jack saw Seamus dance, and he was breathless in amazement.

"Whoa..." He said. Seamus and the girl danced, clacking along the wooden platform with fluid kicks and stomps. Jack could see why it was called the 'Spirit and the Girl'. Without knowing it, the girl matched Seamus's movements exactly. They were imperfect unison.

The dance came to an end and Seamus weaved his way back to Jack, face heated from moving around so much.

"What'd you think?" He asked.

"You were... Wow..." Jack managed to say. Seamus grinned.

"Thanks." he said. "C'mon, Seamus Kennedy is playing in the bar."

* * *

"I want to start of with a nice happy Irish song about death." The singer announced, grinning. The crowd, drunk, laughed and cheered. Seamus and Jack stole a window ledge and watched the singer with grins. "A song called Finnegan's Wake. And what I need you to do in this song is, when we come to the chorus, I want you all to clap along in time to the music. Then stop when I stop, 'Kay?

"Tim Finnegan lived in Watling St., a gentleman Irish mighty odd, He had a brogue both rich and sweet, and to rise in the world he carried a hod. Tim had a sort of a tippler's way, with a love for the liquor poor Tim was born To help him on his work each day, he'd a drop of the craytur every morn.

"Whack fol-de-da now, dance to your partners, welt the floor, yer trotters shake, Wasn't it the truth I told ye, lots of fun at Finnegan's Wake.

"Ah! That's when you're supposed to stop!" Stage Seamus chided when the crowd didn't stop in time. "'Kay, what were going' to do to make sure you all stop at the same time, whoever keeps clapping after everybody else has stopped, has to buy a round of drinks for the people he or she is with.

"Okay, and we don't want anybody cheating an' not clapping. This is an Irish pub, not a Scottish one." there were roars of laughter. Seamus looked to Jack and smirked. "Oh, there are Scottish people here! I know why you're here! It's cause ya found out it was free.

"One morning Tim was rather full, his head felt heavy which made him shake, Fell off a ladder and he broke his skull, and they carried him home his corpse to wake, They wrapped him up in a nice clean sheet and laid him out upon the bed, With a barrel of whiskey at his feet and a bucket of porter at his head.

"Whack fol-de-da now, dance to your partners, welt the floor, yer trotters shake, Wasn't it the truth I told ye, lots of fun at Finnegan's Wake.

"Ah!" Stage Seamus exclaimed upon hearing some still clapping. Meanwhile, Seamus Seamus looked to Jack and laughed.

"You kept clapping. Go get me a Guinness." He said. Jack stated at him.

"You're kidding."

"You heard the rules!" Seamus said. Jack rolled his eyes and got up, flying over people and stealing a can of Guinness from the bar fridge. He sat next to Seamus and handed it over, missing a verse in the process. Seamus opened the can and took a swig.

"How old ARE you?" Jack asked.

"About... 293. You?"

"288." Jack said. Seamus took another sip, smirking.

"Then Molly Malone takes up the job; 'Ah Biddy' says she, 'you're wrong I'm sure.' Biddy fetched her a belt in the gob that left her sprawling on the floor. Civil war did then engage, woman to woman and man to man, Shillelagh law was all the rage and a row and a ruction soon began.

"Whack fol-de-da now, dance to your partners, welt the floor, yer trotters shake, Wasn't it the truth I told ye, lots of fun at Finnegan's Wake.

"Then Mickey Murphy ducked his head as a bottle of whiskey flew at him, It missed, and landing on the bed, the liquor scattered over Tim. Bedad, he revives, see how he rises; Timothy risin' in the bed, Saying, 'Whirl yer whiskey round like blazes, Be the thunderin' Jaysus d'ye think I'm dead!'

"Whack fol-de-da now, dance to your partners, welt the floor, yer trotters shake, Wasn't it the truth I told ye, lots of fun at Finnegan's Wake.

"Whack fol-de-da now, dance to your partners, welt the floor, yer trotters shake, Wasn't it the truth I told ye, lots of fun at Finnegan's Wake."

"Woooo!" Seamus cheered, applauding along with the crowd. They listened through 'The Rattlin' Bog', 'The Unicorn' (which Seamus had to teach the dance to Jack), 'The Dunnes' Song', 'Waltzing with Bears', 'The Wild Rover', 'Monkey Farts', and 'Danny Boy'.

It was 'The Black Velvet Band', and only then did Jack realize in what position Seamus and he were in. Seamus was leaning against the wall, and Jack was leaning against Seamus's chest, sitting between his legs. Jack flushed, mentally kicking himself for not realizing sooner. How does someone miss that?! But instead of freaking out and flying away, Jack merely smiled and decided not to give a crap. He rested his ear on Seamus's chest and listened to him hum along. He felt a lump under the cloth of his shirt and poked at it.

"What's that?" Jack asked. Seamus pulled a necklace out from under his shirt and showed it to Jack. It was a celtic knot, intricately woven together. Jack smiled and leaned back against Seamus's chest, closing his eyes. "I like it."

"Thanks."

* * *

"So, Shilelagh Law?!" Jack yelled over the music. They were back in the main tent and Jack was half surprised that there wasn't a mosh pit with all the crazed energy zinging around.

"Aren't they great?!" Seamus yelled. Jack laughed. They decided to wander around a bit, being able to hear the music from across the grounds. They could talk normally now since it was much quieter.

"So you just stay around Hunter Mountain?" Jack asked. Seamus shook his head.

"Nah, I usually hang around New Paltz. I wander wherever I want a lot. I have a lot of free time, y'know?" Seamus said, kicking a rock as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. Jack nodded. "Where do you tend to stay?"

"Burgess, Pennsylvania." Jack admitted. Seamus smiled.

"How come?"

"I woke up as a spirit in a lake in Burgess. It's like home to me." Jack said. Seamus nudged Jack with his shoulder with a playful smile.

"Yeah, just stop sounding so sad. You're at a damn Irish Festival!" Seamus said. Jack chuckled and nudged him back. Suddenly, Seamus gasped and shot off to Jack's right. "Ooo! Hats!"

"You're kidding!" Jack laughed, amused at seeing Seamus stuffing a hat on his head. He turned around to Jack with jazz hands and a duck-face.

"How do I look?" He said. Jack lost it and nearly fell over laughing, leaning heavily on his staff. Seamus was almost crying with laughter, leaning on the wall and clutching his stomach. Eventually, they calmed down and Seamus put the hat back with a happy sigh.

"C'mon, let's head back. It's almost 10, and I know the best spot."

* * *

"A giant wooden chair?" Jack said, smirking as he leaned against the huge arm rest. Seamus popped a piece of kettle corn into his mouth and shrugged.

"Don't judge me, this is the best you're going to get." He said, standing and leaning on the back of the chair, resting his chin on the edge. The first firework went off and Jack gaped.

"Whoa..."

"Ever seen fireworks before?" Seamus asked. Jack merely remained silent, watching the sky with awe at the loud flashes and bangs. Sure, he had seen them before but not as close or clear as now. Jack moved to stand next to Seamus, resting his chin against the wood and sighing happily. Seamus watched him with a smile.

"The finale." Seamus explained as a cacophony of color and noise took up the sky. Jack nodded, too wonderstruck to answer. The last firework faded of round one, and Jack beamed at Seamus, who smiled before noticing something. "Your staff..."

"Shoot." Jack said. His staff had fallen through the sides and now rested on the ground. He jumped down to get, then stood and gasped. A few kids were running at him. Suddenly, Seamus pulled him out of the way, pressing him against the gargantuan chair. The kids rocketed past, brushing Seamus as they ran past he cringed.

"Watch out!" Seamus chided, still gripping Jack's waist. Their eyes locked and neither could look away.

"I..."

"You could've gotten... Hurt..." The second round of fireworks started up, but even Jack didn't look. Seamus leaned down and met their lips. Jack responded gladly. Jack didn't need to see the fireworks, because he had found his own.


	2. Chapter 2

**~12 years later~**

"He's choosing a new Guardian." North said.

"What?! Why?" Bunny yelled, annoyed.

"Must be big deal! Manny thinks we need help!"

"Since when do we need help?!"

"I wonder who it's gonna be?" A Dreamsand Four-Leaf clover formed above Sandy's head. "Maybe the Leprechaun?"

"Please not the groundhog, please not the groundhog." Bunny chanted under his breath. There was a flash of light and TWO figures resolved atop the pillar. The first was hooded and smirking, holding a staff. The second had their eyes closed and their lips pursed as if whistling.

"Jack Frost... AND Seamus O'reiley..." North said.

* * *

Seamus O'reiley, now 305 spirit years old, dipped his feet in the freezing waters of Split Rock, leaning back with a sigh. In reality, he was 321, but hey, who's counting?

The water was freezing, but Seamus didn't mind. It reminded him of Jac- NO, he was NOT going to think of him. He was still not over it, it being that they suddenly disappeared off the faces of each other's planets. Why? Seamus sure didn't know. And he sure as hell wasn't going to track Jack down to question him.

He heard a splash and a yelp, and his eyes flew open. He dried his feet and slipped his shoes and socks on. Seamus began to creep toward the noise and peered around a bend to see...

"The Tooth Faerie?" He muttered. The woman was splashing about in the current, flustered. Seamus walked over and gripped her wrist, pulling her out of the water. She huffed as she dried instantly, fluttering back into the air.

"Why is it so _cold_?" She whined.

"It's still technically Winter." Seamus said. "What are you doing here in New Paltz?"

"Well... Oh wait, you're Seamus, aren't you!" Tooth squealed. Seamus gave her a confused look.

"Uh, yeah?"

"Oh, great!" She said. She let out a whistle and Seamus yelled at suddenly, two large yetis grabbed his arms. He kicked at them, but they stuffed him in a sack.

"Lemme go!" He yelled, thrashing around. It was dark, and cramped, and hot, and he was NOT in the mood for this. And then he heard the smashing of glass, and he was suddenly chucked. He let out a yell, then grunted as he hit the ground. He struggled to get out. He still couldn't see anything as he fought with the cloth.

"Oh, yeah. I love being shoved in a sack and tossed through a magic portal."

"You know Bunny, obviously."

"Obviously."

"And the Tooth Fairy?"

"Hello, Jack. I've heard a lot about you. And your teeth."

"My, my what?"

"Open up! Are they really as white as they say? Yes! Oh, they really do sparkle like freshly fallen snow. Girls, pull yourselves together... Let's not disgrace the uniform."

"And Sandman. Sandy! Sandy! Wake up!" North said, waking the slumbering man. Seamus finally managed to get out of the sack, and stood.

"Hey! Ho! Anyone wanna tell me-?"

"Jack." Seamus said. Jack whipped around with wide eyes. They walked towards each other, as if to hug, but then both froze.

"Seamus... I..."

"You know each other?" Bunny asked, smirking slightly. They both nodded slightly. Then Seamus broke eye contact to look at the Guardians. "Why are we here?"

"Ah, good question." Bunny remarked to North.

"How come? I tell you how come! Because now... you are Guardians!" North bellowed. Off their confusion, yetis lit ceremonial torches. Elves leapt from columns, unfurling celebratory banners as they descended. Seamus brushed off a few baby teeth who try to present him with a necklace made of paper snowflakes.

"What are you doing?" Seamus said. His voice was drowned out by the sounds of horns and drums.

"This is the best part!" North yelled. An elf marching band struck up, marching into the room. Two yetis moved Jack and Seamus on to a designated spot on the floor. Jack looked down to find an elf pointing at his bare feet. The elf then directed his attention to two approaching elves, carrying a pair of ceremonial boots. Jack's confusion escalated.

"Huh?" He said. A Yeti handed North an old large book. North blew off the dust, opened it, and began clearing his throat. Jack clenched his jaw as he scanned the room: The Mini Teeth continue to fawn, Sandy's smiling, Bunny's apathetic, and North looks on with pride.

Jack suddenly slammed his staff down, sending a blast of frost and wind across the room. The torches went out and everything stopped.

"What makes you think I want to be a Guardian?" Jack snapped. He glanced at Seamus, who also appeared to be anti-guardian, the turned to glare back at North. North bursted out in laughter holding the book in his hands then stopped and looked to Jack, stone faced.

"Of course you do! Music!" The elves blared the trumpets again. Celebration!

"No music!" Seamus yelled. Everything stopped instantly. Seamus glare was actually quite scary. North, displeased, glowered.

"Look, this is all very flattering, but ah...you don't want me. You're all hard work and deadlines, and I'm snowballs and fun times. I'm not a Guardian." Jack said. Seamus looked to him and rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, that's exactly what I said!" Bunny exclaimed.

"You could be if you tried." Seamus said to Jack.

"Not the point, Shea."

"Jack... I don't think you understand what it is we do." Tooth swept in and turned Jack's attention to the massive globe behind him. "Each of those lights is a child."

Jack looked up at the Globe, taking in the enormity of this. North suddenly moved to Jack's side.

"A child who believes. And good or bad, naughty or nice, we protect them. Tooth... fingers out of mouth." Seamus looked to discover that Tooth was examining Jack's teeth. Tooth removed fingers.

"Oh, sorry. They're beautiful." Jack moved away from the Globe and back toward the center of the room.

"Okay, no more wishy-washy! Pitch is out there doing who knows what!"

"You mean the Boogeyman?" Seamus asked as Jack scoffed.

"Yes! When Pitch threatens us, he threatens them as well." North said, pointing to the lights on the globe.

"All the more reason to pick someone more qualified!" Jack said, walking away.

"Pick? You think we pick? No, you were chosen like we were all chosen. By Man in Moon." Jack turned and looked to the group.

"What?"

"Last night, Jack. He chose you." Tooth said.

"Maybe." Bunny grumbled.

"The Man in the Moon, he talks to you?" Jack looked up to the skylight, taking in the awesome sight of the moon as it shines down on Earth.

"You see, you can not say no. It is destiny." North said. Seamus rolled his eyes. Jack was still confused by the news. What does that mean?

"But why, why wouldn't he tell me that himself?" He let out an exasperated sigh and Seamus moved to place a hand on his shoulder. That's when the Guardians (at least some of them such as Sandy and North) realized the situation between the two. "After 300 years this is his answer? To spend eternity like you guys cooped up in some, some hideout thinking of, of new ways to bribe kids? No no, that's not for me. No offense."

Jack turned to leave, leaving the Guardians stunned and Seamus grinning proudly. Except for Bunny, who was relieved by the turn and looked to the others.

"How is that not offensive? You know what I think? I think we just dodged a bullet. I mean, what's this clown know about bringing joy to children anyway?" Jack turned around.

"Uhh, you ever hear of a snow day? I know it's no hard-boiled egg, but kids like what I do." Jack said, pissed.

"But none of 'em believe in you." Bunny leered him. "Do they? You see, you're invisible, mate. It's like you don't even exist."

"Bunny!" Tooth gasped.

"Enough!" Seamus snapped. Silence. Jack tried not to look stung by the taunt.

"No, the kangaroo's right."

"The, the what? What'd you call me? I am not a kangaroo, mate." Bunny said.

"Oh. And this whole time I thought you were. If you're not a kangaroo, what are you?" Jack snapped.

"I'm a bunny. The Easter Bunny. People believe in me." Bunny had hardly finished his sentence when suddenly, a knife flew right in front of his nose. Jack and Bunny looked to see that the thrower was Seamus. He was glaring harshly at Bunny.

"That was a warning." He growled. North, Sandy, and Tooth exchanged glances.

"Jack, Seamus. Walk with me."


	3. Chapter 3

Jack, Seamus, and North rode an elevator, bearing the resemblance of a Christmas ornament, down to the factory floor.

"It's nothing personal, North. What you all do, it's just, it's not my thing." Jack said.

"Man in Moon says it is your thing. We will see!" North said. North stormed through factory floor, Jack trying to keep up while Seamus kept up easily.

"Slow down, wouldja? I've been trying to bust in here for years, I want a good look." Jack said. Seamus chuckled.

"What do you mean, 'bust in?'" North asked, peeved but preoccupied.

"Oh, don't worry, I never got past the yetis." Jack looked over his shoulder; an angry yeti pounded his fist into his palm with a, "Rwwarrrrrr."

"Oh, hey Phil."

"Keep up, Jack! Keep up!" North chided, charging ahead. North's factory was bustling with activity: Yeti's were building toys, moving packages, while Elves were test piloting the various flying toys. As Jack walked behind North, surveying the factory, a duck toy suddenly flew over his head. Seamus pulled Jack out of the way and continued after North.

"I always thought the elves made the toys." Jack said.

"We just let them believe that." Jack looked over to see a group of elves eating Christmas ornaments and another electrocuting himself with Christmas  
lights. North smiled and called to them. "Very nice! Keep up good work!"

"Ouch." Seamus muttered as he walked past the fried elf. Jack merely averted his eyes from the poor creature. North continued through the factory floor. He passed a yeti putting the finishing touches on a blue toy robot.

"I don't like it. Paint it red." The yeti reacted in dismay as he revealed hundreds of finished blue robots. Jack snicked and Seamus smiled.

"Low blow." Seamus whispered. Jack's grin widened.

"Step it up, everybody." As North and Jack moved to the opposite end of the chamber, Seamus finally glimpsed the orchestrated chaos of the entire workshop, in all it's magic and splendor.

* * *

Jack follows North into his office. There are shelves filled with toys. Sketches and prototypes everywhere. North dusted his hands and turns to Jack. His sleeves are rolled. Jack notices that on one of North's forearms is tattooed the word naughty, and on the other, nice. North grabbed a plate from a nearby elf.

"Fruit cake?" North offered.

"Ah, no, thanks." Jack said as Seamus politely declined, still gazing around the room. North hurled it with a crash. A pause as North looked at Jack.

"Now we get down to tacks of brass!" He announced.

"Tacks of brass?" Jack repeated as he and Seamus exchanged looks. As North cracked his knuckles, the two spirits stood silent. The wind suddenly slammed North's office door behind them. Jack looked to the door, it locked itself, and he turned back. North moved in close to them, backing them up against the door. Seamus placed himself in front of Jack, his palms glowing a faint golden color, ready to fight if necessary.

"Who are you? What are your centers?" North poked Seamus in the chest.

"My center?" They repeated in unison.

"If Man in Moon chose you to be Guardians, you must have something very special inside." North stood up straight and began to stroke his beard as he gave the spirits a curious look. "Hmmmm?"

Seamus moved towards a desk, knowing they weren't in danger. North was standing in front of a shelf of Russian nesting dolls. One was carved to look like North himself.

"Here. This is how you see me, no? Very big, intimidating. But if you get to know me a little-" He handed the doll to Jack. "Well, go on."

Jack gave North a curious look, then handed his staff to Seamus to hold. He twisted the doll in half, and inside was another carved North doll, this one was a more typical Santa Claus - red cheeked and cheery.

"You are downright jolly." Jack said.

"Ah, but not just jolly..." The dolls got progressively smaller as he twisted them open, all versions of North, but all slightly different.

"I am also mysterious." another twist - a smaller doll. "And fearless." another twist - a smaller doll. "And caring. And at my center..." Twist. As North approached, Jack looked down and dropped the final Russian doll into the palm of North's hand. It's the size of a jelly bean.

"There's a tiny wooden baby?" Jack said. Seamus snorted.

"Look closer. What do you see?" North asked. Jack held it up to examine it.

"You have big eyes?"

"Yes! Big eyes. Very big. Because they are full! Of wonder! That is my center. It is what I was born with. Eyes that have always seen the wonder in everything!" North exclaimed. North raised his hands, and the toys on the shelves suddenly sprung to life. Jack-in-the-boxes popped, toy trains sped around the room, soldiers marched about, toy planes flew overhead. An elf was carried aloft by a balloon. A flying toy plane glided by and Seamus's eyes follow it as it made its way around the room. A Christmas tree was ablaze with bright lights. Two double doors suddenly opened as the flying car entered the factory floor.

"Eyes that see lights in the trees, and magic in the air!" As it crosses the frame, dozens of other toys are now flying around the massive chamber. It's a truly magical moment. North now stands outside his office, with Jack at his side.

"This wonder is what I put into the world, and what I protect in children."

It is what makes me a Guardian. It is my center. What is yours?

"I don't know." Jack admitted sadly. Jack looked down into his open palm, the wooden baby stared back at him. North closed Jack's hand around the doll and they exchange a look. Seamus placed his hands on Jack's shoulders with a small , something suddenly jetted past a window outside. Almost simultaneously, Bunny and Sandy came running down the hallway toward North, Jack, and Seamus.

"We have a problem, mate! Trouble at the Tooth Palace."


	4. Chapter 4

North shoved open a set of double doors, followed closely by Bunny, Sandy, and Jack. Several Yeti's rush by as they prepare the hangar for launch.

"Boys, ship shape. As soon as impossible."

"North, North! I told you, I'm not going with you guys! There is no way I'm climbing into some rickety old..."  
Suddenly: the sound of pounding hooves and beastly snorting sounded. Santa's incredible sleigh came into view. It was a huge, shiny, tricked out, jaw-dropping hot-rod of a sled. "...sleigh."

Jack was understandably gob-smacked, so much so that he almost was knocked over by one of the reindeer. Suddenly, an arm wrapped around his waist and pulled him out of the way.

"You could've gotten hurt." Seamus remarked, winking at Jack before letting go and walking closer.

"Hey! Moi deti, moi deti. Quiet, quiet." North said to the reindeer. The sleigh came to a standstill as the Guardians prepared to climb inside. Several Yetis were still running around making last minute preparations.

"Okay, one ride, but that's it." Jack agreed. Jack jumped aboard. North smiled knowingly, and climbed inside. Sandy hopped up into the back seat.

"Everyone loves the sleigh." North grabbed the reigns, wrapping them around his arms. He turned to see Bunnymund standing there, frozen and unnerved. "Bunny, what are you waiting for?"

"I think my tunnels might be faster, mate. And um," He pushed the side with his foot, causing it to rock slightly. "and safer."

"Ah, get in." He hoisted Bunnymund up. "Buckle up!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, where are the bloody seatbelts?!" Bunny yelled, desperately looking around his seat. North laughed.

"That was just expression! Are we ready?" North turned to one of the Yetis. The Yeti threw his hands up in a fit shaking his head no. "Good! Let's go! Clear!

"Hyah!" He cracked the reins. The sleigh was off. Elves and yetis scattered out of its path. Sandy, Bunny, Jack, and Seamus flew back into their seats. Bunny clutched the edge of his, terrified. Jack couldn't help but laugh. "Out of the way!" The sleigh headed down a luge-like track. North, Jack, Sandy, and Seamus were enjoying the ride. "Hyah!"

"Ohhhhhh no!" Bunny groaned. North cracked the reigns, the sleigh plummeted, an almost vertical drop. Sandy grinned calmly. Jack loved it. Bunnymund - not so much. "Slow down, slow down!"

"Speed up!" Seamus said, grinning like a mad-man. North pulled a lever, kicking the sleigh into overdrive. He looked back as the sleigh enters a corkscrew.

"I hope you like the loopty loops!" North chuckled. Bunnymund looked nauseous.

"I hope you like carrots."

"Here we go!" North announced. The sleigh reached the bottom of the ramp, and shot upwards, launching them into bright blue sky.

"WOOO-HOOOOOO!" Jack hollered. North, reins in hand, leaned into the wind as the reindeer climbed higher.

"Klasno!" Jack, in his element, leapt up onto the rear of the sleigh to watch the North Pole fade into the distance.

"Whoa!" He laughed. Bunnymund peaked off the side of the sleigh, then leaned back, and held on for dear life.

"Hey, Bunny..." Seamus said, seeing the spark of mischief in Jack's eyes. Bunny turned to Seamus, who pointed his attention to Jack, standing on the back edge of the sleigh.

"Check out this vie- EEEYAAAAGGHGHH!" Jack screamed. Jack was 'swept off' the sleigh and disappeared. Seamus adjusted to get more comfortable, stealing Jack's seat, as Bunny gasped in horror and looked over the side... only to see Jack lounging on the sleigh's skid.

"Awww...you do care." He cooed.

"Ah, rack off you bloody show pony!" Bunny snapped. Bunny glowered as Jack makes his way back into the sleigh.

"Hey, you took my seat." Jack said, pouting. Seamus chuckled.

"Hold on everyone, I know a shortcut." North said.

"Oh strewth, I knew we should have taken the tunnels." Bunny groaned.

"Looks like you need to find a new one then." Seamus teased.

"Fine." Jack said. And he sat on Seamus's lap. The slightly older spirit rolled his eyes but smiled. North held a snow globe up to his face.

"I say, Tooth Palace." North said. An image of the Tooth Palace appeared inside the snowglobe. North threww the globe into the air and a giant vortex opened.

"Hyah!"

* * *

The sleigh suddenly came out of hyperdrive at the outskirts of the Tooth Palace. Streaks of black were rapidly approaching.

"What!?" North yelled. Suddenly, they found themselves in the midst of mayhem, as hundreds of Nightmares and terrified Tooth Fairies jetted past. It was like a meteor storm and utter chaos. North yanked the reins, and the sleigh veered sharply, dodging the oncoming Nightmares. "What are they!?"

"Whoa!" Bunny yelped as he and Sandy ducked the onslaught. Jack now saw that the Nightmares were actually gulping down the fleeing fairies and flying off with them.

"They're taking the tooth fairies!" Jack looked up to see a lone fairy with a Nightmare snapping at its heels. Jack leapt into the air and rescued it before the Nightmare could snatch it away. Jack landed back in the sleigh. He opened his hand to reveal Baby Tooth, who was shaking with fear.

"Hey little Baby Tooth, you okay?" As Baby Tooth nodded, North steered the sleigh forward through the storm toward the entrance of Tooth's Palace. It was a vast chamber supported by pillars containing millions of tiny wooden deposit boxes from floor to ceiling. North spotted a Nightmare up ahead and handed Jack the reigns.

"Here, take over!" North said.

"Huh?" Bunny said, surprised that North was handing the reins to someone as experienced in flying the sled as himself. Jack, though also surprised, quickly grabbed the reigns and smiled as he snapped them.

"Hyah!" North readied his sword and sliced the Nightmare in half with an energetic, "Yah!". Several tooth boxes spilled out of the split Nightmare and rained down into the sleigh at the Guardians' feet. The Nightmare disintegrated into black sand.

"They're stealing the teeth!" Sandy looked at his hands and saw the Nightmare sand take shape and drift away. He and Bunny exchanged a look. The Guardians turned. They were headed straight for a pillar.

"Jack, look out!" Seamus gasped. Jack pulled the reins -

"Aaaahhhh!" - the sleigh nearly missed the pillar and skidded to a rough stop on a platform. They scrambled out and Seamus grabbed Jack's shoulders, looking him over.

"Are you alright?" He asked. Jack nodded, and they saw Tooth up above.

"Tooth! Are you alright?" North called. Tooth was flying around, visibly frustrated. This was bad.

"They, they took my fairies! And the teeth! All of them! Everything is gone! Everything." Only then did it seem to hit her. Tooth's wings dropped in defeat. She was completely lost amidst the devastation. The Guardians rushed to comfort her. Jack and Seamus stayed behind as Baby Tooth popped out from the hood of Jack's hoodie and flew over toward Tooth.

"Oh thank goodness! One of you is alright!" She sighed happily.

"I have to say, this is very, very exciting."


	5. Chapter 5

"The Big Four, all in one place. I'm a little star-struck. Did you like my show on the globe, North? Got you all together, didn't I?" Pitch chuckled. Seamus moved to place himself between Jack and Pitch, his palms glowing gold. Tooth darted after Pitch, but he escaped into the shadows.

"Pitch, you have got thirty seconds to return my fairies!"

"Or what?" Tooth followed the sound of Pitch's voice and found him near one of her tooth box columns. "You'll stick a quarter under my pillow?"

"Why are you doing this?" North asked.

"Maybe I want what you have. To be believed in." Pitch said. Jack and Seamus took that in, but Seamus wasn't any less wary. Pitch moved along the walls and shadows of the chamber and emerged from behind a column. "Maybe I'm tired of hiding under beds. "

"Maybe that's where you belong." Bunny snapped.

"Ah, go suck an egg, rabbit!" If the situation weren't so serious, Seamus would've laughed. Bunny looked down past the edge of the platform to find Pitch upside down, staring him in the face. Pitch disappeared again. "Hang on, is that...Jack Frost? Since when are you all so chummy?"

"We're not."

"Oh good." Jack turned and saw Pitch standing in the middle of a column. "A neutral party. Then I'm going to ignore you. But, you must be used to that by no-" He cut off as he was nearly impaled by a large dagger, the blade embedding into the metal in front of his face. He turned and saw Seamus glowering darkly, a faint golden glow beginning in his eyes.

"Leave him alone, Pitch. That was a warning." Seamus threatened, another dagger forming from golden light. Pitch grinned and appeared from a shadow beside him.

"For a leprechaun, you sure are tall." He remarked, eyeing him hungrily. Seamus rolled his eyes.

"Wow, that was original. But I'm not the leprechaun." Seamus said, flipping the dagger in his hand as if they were having a normal conversation and it was normal to have a large weapon.

"Who are you then?" Pitch said, looking the younger spirit over. Seamus ran a finger over the edge of his blade.

"You're the infamous Boogieman, you should know. Take a guess." Seamus said with a smirk.

"Then you must be Seamus O'reiley. Why are you so scared of me hurting Jack? He left you."

"Pitch! You shadow sneaking ratbag! Come here!" Bunny yelled. Bunny went after Pitch, but he disappeared and reemerged on an opposite column. Tooth spotted him, grabbed one of Bunny's boomerangs and flew at Pitch in a rage.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Pitch looked at Tooth with a calm smile and before she could reach him, a huge Nightmare darted out of hiding and reared up at her. Tooth fell back. Baby Tooth hid in Jack's hoodie.

"Whoa! Hey, easy, girl. Easy." Pitch cooed. He drew a wisp of black sand from Onyx's mane, twirled it in his palm, and turned toward Sandy. "Look familiar, Sandman? Took me a while to perfect this little trick. Turning dreams into Nightmares." Pitch noticed the shocked Guardians. "Don't be nervous, it only riles them up more. They smell fear you know."

"What fear? Of you!? No one's been afraid of you since the Dark Ages!" Bunny yelled. Pitch's eyes flashed with anger. But then he smiled in a nostalgic manner.

"Oh, the Dark Ages. Everyone frightened. Miserable. Such happy times for me. Oh, the power I wielded! But then the Man in the Moon chose you to replace my fear with your wonder and light! Lifting their hearts! And giving them hope! Meanwhile, everyone wrote me off as just a bad dream! 'Oh, there's nothing to be afraid of! There's no such thing as the Boogeyman!' Well that's all about to change." Pitch leaned toward the Guardians, showing nothing but contempt. A sound behind Pitch: one of the columns of the Palace began to crack and crumble, as if decaying. Tooth was stunned... "Oh look, it's happening already."

"What is?" Jack asked. Tooth's eyes widened in shock.

"Children are waking up and realizing the Tooth Fairy never came. I mean such a little thing, but to a child..." Jack subconsciously moved closer to Seamus as the palace continues to crumble.

"What's going on?" Jack asked Tooth.

"They, they don't believe in me anymore." She breathed, tears beading in her eyes.

"Didn't they tell you, Jack? It's great being a Guardian - but there's a catch. If enough kids stop believing, everything your friends protect - wonder, hopes and dreams - it all goes away. And little by little, so do they. No Christmas, or Easter, or little fairies that come in the night. There will be nothing. But fear and darkness and me! It's your turn not to be believed in!" Pitch shouted.

Bunny threw his boomerangs at Pitch, who quickly ducked out of the way as they flew around the chamber columns. Pitch then jumped onto the back of Onyx, his horse, down into the depths of the Palace. The Guardians dove after him, followed by Jack. Bunny grabbed a set of egg bombs and launched them at Pitch, exploding seconds before Pitch hit the ground.

The Guardians landed-

"He's gone."


	6. Chapter 6

Tooth, deflated, sat on the ground with an empty tooth box in her hands. Baby Tooth, resting on a nearby broken tooth box, looked to Tooth with concern.

"Okay, alright I admit it, you were right about Pitch." Bunny said to North in the background.

"This is one time I wish I was wrong. But he will pay." North replied. Seamus sat on a large rock nearby, fiddling a knife with a pensive expression. Jack walked up and crouched down alongside Tooth.

"I'm sorry, about the fairies." Jack said. Tooth smiled, but she wasn't her bubbly self.

"You should've seen them. They put up such a fight." She said.

"Why would Pitch take the teeth?" Jack asked.

"It's not the teeth he wanted. It's the memories inside them."

"What do you mean?" Jack asked. Tooth led Jack across the pond, the water freezing under his feet as he walked.

"That's why we collect the teeth, Jack. They hold the most important memories of childhood." Tooth directed him to a mural, which illustrated such. Jack took a second to admire the immense beauty of the mural before him. "My fairies and I watch over them and when someone needs to remember what's important, we help them. We had everyone's here. Yours too."

"My memories?" Jack asked.

"From when you were young. Before you became Jack Frost." Tooth clarified.

"But, I wasn't anyone before I was Jack Frost." Jack said, confused. Seamus paused and looked up with concern.

"Of course you were. We were all someone before we were chosen." Tooth said.

"What?"

"You should've seen Bunny." North chuckled.

"Hey, I told you never to mention that!" Bunny hissed, pointing a finger at his face. Jack, confused, was trying to process all this.

"That night at the pond...I just, why I assumed...Are you saying, are you saying I had a life before that? With a home? And a family?" Jack asked.

"You really don't remember?" Tooth said sadly. Jack's expression said it all.

"All these years, and the answers were right here. If I find my memories, then I'll know why I'm here. You have to show me." Jack, using his control of the wind, lifted up off the ice and flew across the pond landing on the rock where Seamus sat.

"I...I can't, Jack. Pitch has them." Tooth said, fluttering over to land. Jack whipped around, overlooking the Guardians.

"Then we have to get them back!" Jack said, determined. Suddenly, a patch of Tooth's feathers fell out, and disappeared. The Guardians eyes filled with worry.

"Oh no!" She gasped. Jack was stricken. He looked back as the ancient mural began to disintegrate. "The children. We're too late."

"No! No! No such thing as too late! Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Idea! HAHH!" He was gleeful, and swung his sword ou, nearly taking out Bunny. The others looked at each other as if he's nuts. "We will collect the teeth!"

"What?" Tooth yelped.

"We get teeth! Children keep believing in you!" North clarified.

"We're talking seven continents! Millions of kids!" Tooth exclaimed.

"Give me break! You know how many toys I deliver in one night?"

"And eggs I hide in one day?" Bunny added. North turned to Jack and Seamus.

"And Jack, if you help us, we will get you your memories." North promised. Jack looked to Tooth, who gave him a reassuring smile. Sandy gave two enthusiastic thumbs up while Bunny groaned. Jack looked to Seamus, who sat beside him. Then he looked to North.

"I'm in."

"Seamus, there isn't much we can offer to do for yo-"

"I'll help." Seamus said, cutting North off.

"What?"

"Hey, I'm offering help. You're going to turn that down?" Seamus asked, smirking as he stood. North shook his head. "Good. Then what are we waiting for?"

* * *

North shot up out of a chimney, dashing along the rooftops, laughing.

"Quickly! Quickly!" He called. North slipped down another chimney as Bunnymund raced along rooftop away.

"Here we go, here we go..." Jack zipped in, calling out to Bunny.

"Hop to it rabbit, I'm five teeth ahead!"

"Yeah right, look, I'd tell you to stay outta my way, but really what's the point - because you won't be able to keep up anyway." Bunny said.

"Is that a challenge, cottontail?" Jack said with a grin.

"Oh, you don't wanna race a rabbit, mate." Bunny said, smirking. North bursted up out of a nearby chimney.

"A race? Is it a race?" North jumped into one chimney, then shot out of another across the way. "This is going to be..." North disappeared down yet another chimney only to emerge with a bang out the top of another. "EPIC!"

"Just try to keep up!" Seamus called, leaping out of a child's window and racing across the rooftops with surprising speed.

Tooth darts into view, in  
hummingbird overdrive, dazzled by the lights and traffic.  
Baby Tooth struggles to keep up.

"Four bicuspids over there! An incisor two blocks east! Is that a molar? They're EVERYWHERE!" Tooth yelled. Tooth, overwhelmed, jetted off without paying attention and suddenly, BAM, she smacked right into a billboard, ironically advertising dental hygiene. "Ow!"

"Ah, you okay?" Jack asked as he and Seamus jumped up onto the billboard.

"Fine...sorry, it's been a really long time since I've been out in the field." Tooth said, smoothing her feathers.

"How long is a long time?"

"Ah, four hundred forty years...give or take?"

Tooth jerks to attention: suddenly her attention fixed thru a little girl's bedroom window: a tiny glow under her pillow marked a freshly planted tooth. Tooth gasped and her eyes went wide. She flew to the window, excited. Jack looked to Baby Tooth and Seamus.

"It's gonna be a long night." Jack said.

"Mhmm..." Seamus said, seemingly distracted. He glanced at Jack, then smiled and back flipped off the billboard. "Come on, there are teeth to collect!"

* * *

The night flew by rather quickly, and they made lots of progress, even with the coin mishap. They were in Burgess now. Jack was parkouring through the street, and went to shortcut through an alley when he crashed straight into...

"Watch out!" Seamus chided, grabbing Jack's waist. Jack dropped his staff and grabbed Seamus's shoulder so he wouldn't fall over. Seamus rubbed his forehead with a chuckle. "You could've gotten hurt."

"Uh..." Jack said, blushing. He stepped away and stooped to pick up his staff, hoping his blush wasn't obvious. "Sorry."

"It's alright." Seamus said, eyes never leaving Jack as he gripped his staff, and readied to take off.

"So, uh... We should go back to collecting the teeth." Jack said, glancing at Seamus, then the ground, then Seamus again.

"Jack, I-" Jack took off, cutting Seamus off and leaving him all alone in the alley. Seamus sighed, running a hand through his hair out of habit.

"It's gonna be a long night." Seamus repeated, as if mocking himself. He shook his head before taking off.


	7. Chapter 7

Seamus fiddled with a knife, sitting on the roof of some kid named Jamie. He frowned, his pensive expression somewhat masking the hurt one underneath. Sure, it's been 12 years, but did Jack really not want to be around him? He glanced up as he saw gold out of the corner of his eye. lt was North and Sandy, racing down the street. Seamus waved.

"Where are the others?" North asked. Seamus merely pointed down at the roof, then laid back and rested an arm over his eyes. Sandy gave Seamus a concerned look before following North in.

"Here you are!" North exclaimed. Tooth shushed him. Their voices were garbled since they whispered. Baby Tooth flew over to Seamus and pulled on his bangs to get his attention.

"What?" He asked. She squeaked and he sighed.

"I don't feel like talking about it." He said. Baby Tooth fixed him with a stern look and he shifted so that she could sit in his palm. "Well... Jack and I used to be, uh, more than friends. And then he just disappeared, and I don't know why. That was 12 years ago, and... I still like him, a lot. But I don't think he feels the same."

Baby Tooth squeaked a few times and hugged his thumb.

"Thanks." Seamus said, smoothing her feathers with his finger.

"SSSHHHHHHHHH!" Seamus heared North hiss. Seamus curiously eyed the roof as if he could see through the ceiling to see what was going on. Seamus jumped nearly a foot in the air as he heard, "YEEEEEHAAAHH!"

Seamus moved Baby Tooth to his shoulder and hung upside down from the edge of the roof, peering through the window.

"Santa Claus?" Jamie said. They all turned slowly to see Jamie sitting up in bed, holding a flashlight, wide awake and beaming in disbelief. "The Easter Bunny?... Sandman... The Tooth Fairy! I knew you'd come!"

"Surprise! We came!" Tooth giggled. Baby Tooth flew in and perched on Tooth's shoulder.

"He can see us?" Jack asked. Jamie looked around, amazed, and Seamus knew that he saw everyone but Jack.

"Most of us." Bunny said.

"Shhh! You guys, he's still awake." Tooth whispered.

"Sandy! Knock him out!" Bunny said. They all looked to him, scandalized. Jamie looked concerned.

"Huh?"

"With the Dreamsand, ya gumbies." Bunny clarified. But then Jamie's greyhound rose up, fully awake, her nostrils flaring at the scent she's picked up.

"No, stop that's the Easter Bunny. What are you doing, Abbey? Down!" Jamie scolded. The dog was nose to nose with Bunnymund.

"Alright, nobody panic." Bunny said, carefully setting down his bag of teeth.

"But that's a um, that's a greyhound. Do you know what greyhounds do to rabbits?" Jack said, clearly enjoying the situation.

"I think it's a pretty safe bet he's never met a rabbit like me..." While Sandy formed a Dreamsand baseball, Jack rolled his eyes and noticed an alarm clock on the bedside table. "Six foot one, nerves of steel, master of tai-chi and the ancient art of-" Jack couldn't resist: he reached over stealthily and set of the alarm clock with his staff. "Crikey."

Bunny was off like a shot, the greyhound right on his tail, running laps in the small room, the dog barking like crazy. Seamus chuckled, crouching on the window pane and smiling. His face was flushed from hanging upside down for so long.

"Stop! Sit!" Jamie exclaimed. Sandy, amused, made a Dreamsand baseball to stop the dog, but bobbled it as the dog brushes past. "Down girl, down!"

The others stood out of the way as Bunny and the dog ran up the walls and over the bed. As Tooth tried to silence the alarm clock, Jack could barely contain his laughter. Sandy took aim as Bunny and the dog ran circles around him.

"Sandy, Sandy!" North encouraged. The dog jumped past North, knocking him back. "Ah!"

As Sandy wound up, the dog suddenly smacked right into him. The Dreamsand went flying.

"Hey, this is not proper Tooth Fairy behavior!" Tooth scolded. Seamus saw the ball of sand flying at Jack, and pressed him against the wall.

"Jack, watch out!" Seamus said. He himself was hit and his forehead fell onto Jack's shoulder. Jack hugged his waist to keep him from falling onto the ground. The ball bounced off Seamus and North ducked out of the way as the Dreamsand then sailed toward him. The Dreamsand baseball smacked Tooth right in the face and exploded into golden dust. Tooth and her fairy fell to the ground as a golden tooth took shape above their of Dreamsand made their way around the room.

"Ah, this thing's rabid! Get this dingo off me!" Bunny yelled. Bunny got a whiff of the golden sand. The image of a carrot quickly took shape in front of his face. "Oh no."

THUD! Bunny fell over, asleep. The dog went down with bones over her head. North tried to scramble out of the way, but there was no escape in the tiny room.

"Candy canes..." He teetered for a moment as Dreamsand candy canes appeared before him, then fell like a giant Sequoia, landing on the end of Jamie's bed, which sent Jamie catapulting through the air.

"Whoaaaaaaaaaa!" Luckily he landed in Sandy's arms. He started to wake up again, but Sandy was there with a fistful of sand. Jamie too was out cold.

Jack and Sandy looked down at the sleeping boy, relieved. Then they looked around at the heaps of sleeping, snoring bodies.

"Whoops..." Jack said with a grin. Bunny was snuggled up next to North. A carrot and candy canes, made of Dreamsand, hed hands as they danced above Bunny and North's head. Jack laid Seamus on the floor and turned to Sandy, who had put Jamie back in bed. Sandy lifted North's arm and let go. It was completely limp and fell flat. Sandy smiled at Jack, who chuckled. "Oh, I really wish I had a camera right now."

Sandy eyes suddenly widened. There was a Nightmare behind Jack. Jack turns to see the Nightmare staring at him through the window. Without hesitation, Jack jumped out the window after it.

"Sandy, c'mon! We can find Pitch." Jack shouted. Sandy paused for a moment, then followed Jack's lead.

* * *

The sleeping Guardians were where they left them. Jamie's bedroom door opened, and Sophie toddled in. She took in the scene, amused. She toddled over to North, giggling. She poked at his rotund belly. Then she noticed something. She reached into his pocket and pulled out a snow globe.

"Pretty!" She cooed. She looked over to see the Easter Bunny, sound asleep on the floor. "Bunny! Hop! Hop! Hop!"

"Agh!" Seamus cried as she stepped through him, catching herself from a trip. He looked around in confusion. The snow globe lit up. Sophie's eyes widened as she looked at the beautiful vista inside the globe. It was Bunny's warren. She took the globe and toddled off for the door, when she tripped - again - and the snow globe smashed on the floor.

"Ow!" BOOMF! A flash of light. She looked up to see a magical portal open in front of her. A gust of wind came blowing out of the portal. Sophie giggled, and Seamus shot to his feet to stop her.

"Oh no, no no no." Seamus scolded. She toddled through him and through the portal. Seamus cringed, then looked out the window. He saw the flashes of light from the streets and leapt out the window. North's bleary eyes popped open mid-snore.

"Whuh-huh...?"


	8. Chapter 8

_**Fine pouty pants, you can have Seamus's dream... or should I say nightmare? BWAHAHA! You asked for it, Ciara!**_

_**And NerdyLittleCray, your review made me tear up a bit I was so touched. Thank you.**_

_**Seamus's nightmare! Oh that sounds like a really cool band name... Anyways, *drum roll***_

* * *

_Seamus dreamed of the Irish festival. He and Jack ran through the tents and stands, laughing and yelling. Seamus rounded a corner and-_

_screamed, scrambling back. Jack was dead, Pitch holding his by the hood. Seamus turned and ran, tears streaming down his face. The tents and stands and buildings crumbled to black sand, which gathered behind Seamus, forming a large wall of Nightmares. It formed Pitch's cackling face. Seamus tripped and fell into a pit of blackness. He landed on the ground, hard. He was in a dark cavern that had stairs and bridges running everywhere. Seamus knew it was Pitch's lair. Said man appeared behind him and Seamus whipped around, trying to make daggers appear in his hands. But he couldn't._

_"What did you do?!" Seamus yelled. Pitch moved forward and grabbed his shoulders. Seamus growled, swatting his hands away. Pitch frowned._

_"You're in my realm, I decide what happens. You're powerless, as you always are." Pitch said, a smile coming to his face. "You can't even gain the love of your boyfriend."_

_"Shut up." Seamus hissed._

_"Why are you so loyal? He **left** you without a word."_

_"Shut up." Seamus repeated, louder. Pitch didn't noticed as the younger spirit's eyes began to glow._

_"He's not even that great. You deserve **better**, Seamus. Jack is **unfeeling, rude, c-**"_

_"I said, **shut up**!" Seamus roared, a supernova-worthy explosion of light exploding from him and slamming into Pitch as- _"Agh!" - Sophie stepped on him.

* * *

"HAAAH! I got it!" Jack cheered after successfully freezing the Nightmare. Jack jumped up onto the roof and prodded the frozen Nightmare with his staff. "Sandy! Sandy, did you see that?! Look at this thing!"

Jack could barely contain his excitement as he called out to Sandy. But suddenly Pitch lurched out from behind an air conditioning unit on the rooftop.

"Frost?" Pitch said. Jack blasted a wave of frost across the rooftop, but Pitch easily dodged it, reappearing behind Jack on the adjoining rooftop. "You know, for a 'neutral party' you spend an awful lot of time with those weirdos. This isn't your fight, Jack."

"You made it my fight when you stole those teeth." Jack spat, eyes narrowed, his staff held out, ready to strike. Pitch regarded him curiously.

"Teeth? Why do you care about the teeth?" He asked. Then he noticed something and turned to find Sandy calmly standing on the rooftop next to him. Pitch quickly sidestepped, moving away from Sandy. He chuckled. "Now this is who I'm looking for-"

Before Pitch could finish, a large dagger flew at him, forcing him to duck.

"Whoa-?" He said. All three spirit looked up to see Seamus, fury on his face. He leapt off the taller building and landed in a crouch, before leaping forward with a sword forming in his hands. Pitch smiled and ducked again. Pitch dispersed a stream of Nightmare sand, turning it into a gigantic sickle and swing it back at Seamus, who did a backbend. Jack ducked, avoiding injury as Seamus was pushed back against a ledge. Seamus snarled and suddenly, wisps of gold flew out of his back and wrapped around Pitch. His look was of pure shock, until it morphed into pain as Seamus slammed him against the rooftops before throwing him off the building. Pitch bounced off the ground as he crashed into an empty. Seamus leapt off the building, Jack and Sandy looked on in astonishment.

"Remind me not to get on his bad side." Jack muttered to Sandy, who nodded and calmly followed. Pitch shook off the crash, trying to back up as Seamus touched down and moved toward him, Sandy and Jack following. Pitch cowered on the ground in fear as they approached.

"Okay, easy! You can't blame me for trying! Sandy, you don't know what it's like to be weak or hated. It was stupid of me to mess with your dreams. So I'll tell you what..." Seamus continued forward, eyes glowing with rage... but suddenly Pitch stopped cowering and stands up. His tone changed. "You can have 'em back!"

Before Jack, Seamus, or Sandy could react, a Nightmare shot up through a storm drain as several other Nightmares gather in the alley behind him. The trio looked around as hundreds of Nightmares descended from the surrounding rooftops to encircle them. Jack, worried, looked to Seamus and muttered...

"You take the ones on the left, I'll take the ones on the right?" Seamus smiled at him, before fixing a glare on Pitch. Meanwhile, Pitch rose up from off the ground as Onyx took shape underneath him. Pitch grabbed onto Onyx's mane as she snorted and snarled. He then leaned forward.

"Boo!" Pitch's army of Nightmares begin to charge. Then suddenly, the sound of bells and reindeer echoed in the distance. North's sleigh bursted through the clouds. Jack and Pitch looked up into the sky as it circled overhead. The sleigh turned toward Pitch, only to fly a few feet over his head. Pitch turned as it passed over him, slightly confused. North was asleep at the wheel, along with Bunny and Tooth. Suddenly, the sleigh clipped one of its skis as it flew over City Hall, jolting North to attention.

Still battling Nightmares, Sandy propelled himself, Jack, and Seamus into the air with a stream of Dreamsand and launched Jack away from the Nightmares. Jack quickly oriented himself and knocked an oncoming Nightmare with his staff. Seamus leapt from Nightmare to Nightmare, turning them to dust as he went. Tooth quickly jumped off the side of the sleigh toward Jack and Sandy.

Jack knocked away a few more Nightmares with his staff, and looked up. Tooth suddenly flew by through the swarm of Nightmares, slicing them apart with her wings, causing them to explode into black sand.

Pitch gave a signal and leapt into the air, leading another wave of Nightmares after the Guardians.

Back in the sleigh, Bunny jumped out and landed on a nearby roof. Bunny quickly tossed his boomerang which disintegrated every Nightmare in its path. Bunny caught the returning boomerang, leapt off the roof, and grabbed the skids of the sleigh as it passed by.

North stood, drawing both his scimitars, and diced the oncoming Nightmares to bits as they attack.

"Ha. Ha. Ha. Come on!"

Jack headed back to the sleigh by dodging two Nightmares as they attack, causing them to smash straight into each other. As he continued his descent, Jack was suddenly blind sided by another Nightmare, which knocked the staff from his hands. For a moment, Jack was in a state of panic as he found himself in free fall.

"Aaaaaaaah!" Jack was suddenly grabbed by Seamus, who pushed them both to the skid. He had thrown a pitch-fork-esq knife that caught the staff.

"You might want to duck." Bunny said. Jack and Seamus ducked as a Nightmare reared up behind them, but one of Bunny's boomerangs blasted through it and zipped back to Bunny's waiting paw. Seamus smirked. Sandy, high up in the clouds, did his best to contain the mass of Nightmares that were swirling around him. Pitch rose from behind a group of Nightmares. He stretched his arms as an arrow of Nightmare sand formed behind him. Jack, Seamus, and the Guardians watched as more Nightmares sped away to join their herd. Sandy looked overwhelmed by the onslaught.

"We gotta help Sandy!" Jack called over the chaos.

"Hyah!" North cracked the reigns, turned the sleigh, and headed toward the swirling cloud of yellow and black sand. Pitch took aim and released the arrow. It flew through the air and into Sandy's back, exploding on impact. The Guardians looked on, horrified.

"Sandy..." Seamus whispered.

"Noooo!" Jack cried, leaping ahead of the sleigh and flying toward Sandy.

"Jack!" Seamus yelled. He leapt out after Jack and jumped from Nightmare to Nightmare. Sandy felt the shock and turned around. A patch of blackness started slowly spreading across his body. Pitch laughed as he and Sandy locked eyes.

"Hahahahaha!...Don't fight the fear, little man." Pitch sneered. The Guardians continued to speed toward Sandy, but Nightmares began colliding with the sleigh, slowing their progress.

"Hurry, hurry!" North encouraged. Pitch relishes this moment of triumph.

"I'd say sweet dreams, but there aren't any left." Sandy, his eyes filled with terror, fell to his knees as the patch of blackness continued to spread. Jack pressed on, trying to reach Sandy as fast as he could, Seamus following close behind. Sandy stood up, accepting his fate, and closed his eyes as he and his Dreamsand cloud were consumed by the writhing blackness of the Nightmare sand.

"Sandy..." North breathed. Jack, horrified, clenched his staff as he sped toward Pitch.

"No...NOOOOOO!" He screamed. Seamus glanced at him before focusing on leaping. Sandy was gone. His beautiful Golden Dreamsand, now black, merged with the rest of Pitch's Nightmare sand. Pitch was beyond delighted. His plan had actually worked! Pitch then noticed Jack flying towards him, glowing energy emanating from his staff. Pitch raised his hands and fired another arrow. Seamus gasped upon seeing it flying for Jack's chest, and leapt in the way. It hit him in the stomach and he cried out, falling onto a Nightmare as Pitch snarled and sent a massive wave of Nightmares toward Jack. The Guardians were stunned. Jack quickly realized that was he's in over his head as the attacking Nightmares began to overtake him. He and Seamus were engulfed by Nightmares and there was nothing but silence. Pitch looked on with a smile until a bolt of lightning suddenly erupted from within the writhing black sand.

"Ahhhhhh!" Jack screamed. A gust of wind blew past Pitch, quickly followed by a massive wave of ice and frost that rocketed back up the stream of Nightmare sand toward him, culminating in an explosion of ice and snow.

"AAAHH!" Pitch yelled as he fell from the sky. Jack and Seamus free fell back to Earth, unconscious. Tooth quickly rescues Jack and set him back down in the sleigh, then grabbed Seamus. Jack began to regain consciousness.

"Jack, how did you do that?" Tooth asked.

"I, I didn't know I could." Jack admitted. He then looked around, panicked. "Where's Seamus?!"

"He's right here." Bunny said, nodding to the unconscious spirit. He looked sick, and that's when Jack noticed a grey marking under Seamus's collar. Jack shifted onto his knees and, despite the odd looks the Guardians gave him, Jack removed Seamus's shirt...

to reveal a large wound on his stomach. It was black, and grey, veined looking markings were spreading from the wound. Jack stared, shocked.

"Seamus?" He said, lightly shaking said spirits shoulder. He didn't respond. He shook Seamus harder. "Seamus?!"

"Frostbite, I don't think-"

"Seamus!" Jack cried, shaking him more. Seamus still didn't respond. Tears began beading in Jack's eyes, and he shook Seamus again. "Seamus's stop playing games, wake up. Seamus!"

"Jack, leave him be." Bunny said sadly, bowing his head. Tooth sat next to him, closing her eyes in sadness. North held himself together to drive the sleigh, but he couldn't hide the sadness on his face. Jack's hands unclenched on Seamus's chest and he leaned forward, resting his head on his hands. His shoulders shook as he began crying. Suddenly, Seamus groaned.

"Five more minutes, mum." He mumbled. Jack laughed in relief and hugged Seamus tightly. "

"You're alive!" Jack said gleefully. Seamus's eyes flew open and he winced.

"Owowow! Okay, okay, it's okay." He said, wincing but smoothing Jack's hair as said spirit hugged him tighter. He looked around in confusion at the happy faces of the Guardians, then down at Jack, then at the Guardians again. "Uh... what happened?"


	9. Chapter 9

**Sheesh, love ya too, Ciara *eye roll***

**NerdyLittleCray, oh my gosh you just made my day, scratch that, you made my year! Yay! I dunno, when it comes to ROTG, no one seems to squish names so I guess it would be frozen shamrock? *shrug* So glad you ship it XD**

**As you wish, Guest-kcr!**

* * *

The Guardians were in the midst of a somber ceremony, marking the passing of Sandy. Burning candles lined the perimeter of Sandy's stone emblem.

Tooth set down a candle and stood shoulder to shoulder with North and Bunny. Tooth held out a hand to Bunny, which he took after they exchanged a look of understanding. They looked back to the emblem as Tooth extended a hand to North.

The ringing of somber bells could be heard echoing throughout the chamber, as we reveal the elves ringing their bells as part of a ceremonial dirge.

* * *

Jack, facing a window, frosted over the glass with his finger to form a symbol of Sandy. North slowly walked up behind him.

"Are you alright?" North asked, leaning against the window ledge and crossing his arms, turning his head to look at Jack. Jack remained still, his eyes fixed on the image of Sandy.

"I just, I wish I could've done something." Jack said.

"Done something? Jack, you stood up to Pitch. You saved us." North said.

"But Sandy wo-" North cut Jack off by putting his hand on Jack's shoulder.

"Would be proud of what you did." Jack pulled back his hoodie and stood up. "I don't know who you were in your past life, but in this life you are Guardian."

"But how can I know who I am, until I find out who I was?" Jack asked.

"You will. I feel it, in my belly." North said. Jack smiled slightly. "What else is bothering you?"

"Seamus." Jack admitted, running a hand through his hair. "I... I feel really guilty about what happened to him."

"He is strong. He will be out of recovery room in no time." North said, beaming. Jack gave a half-hearted smile and kicked his staff into his hand, walking down the hall. "Where are you going?"

"To see Seamus. I have to talk to him." Jack called over his shoulder.

* * *

"Shea?" Jack said, poking his head through the doorway. A yeti tending to Seamus looked up, then grunted something and left, closing the door after him... or was it a her? Jack could never really tell.

Jack leaned his staff against the wall and walked over to the hospital bed. Seamus was sleeping, his chest rising and falling calmly. A damp cloth was on his forehead, his hair wet from hanging over said cloth. His abdomen was wrapped in thick white bandages, signifying that the wound was still bad, but the grey vein stuff had gone away almost completely. Jack took the cloth off Seamus's head and smoothed the hair from his face, before leaning down and pressing a kiss to his forehead. His forehead was warm, too warm.

Jack turned and crossed to the sink, wetting it under the faucet before blowing on it slightly. It chilled instantly. Jack carried it back over to Seamus and placed it on his forehead. Jack remained gazing at Seamus, as if in a trance, a pensive expression on his face. He was so preoccupied that he almost jumped when Seamus reached up and placed his hand over Jack's. His eyes opened slightly and he yawned, regarding Jack tiredly.

"Morning." He said. Jack smirked, sighing in amusement. He sat on the edge of the bed and looked Seamus over. He still looked sick.

"How are you feeling?" Jack asked. Seamus draped an arm over his eyes.

"Like I was hit by a truck." He admitted, groaning miserably. Jack smirked and patted him bandages.

"Well, they patched you up. North says you'll be out soon." Jack said, failing to mask his concern, his hand resting on the bandages. Seamus grabbed his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze, a smile on his face.

"Don't give me that guilty look. I'm glad I jumped in the way." Seamus said. Jack smiled in return, then he looked confused.

"Hey, where's your necklace?" He asked.

"What necklace?"

"The celtic knot that you had on at the Irish Festival." Jack clarified. Seamus's mouth formed a little 'o' and he reached into his pocket. He pulled out the necklace and smirked.

"Good memory." He remarked. He then leaned up and slipped the chain over Jack's head. The metal was warm against Jack's skin, and the symbol rested over his heart. Jack slipped it under his hoodie and gazed at Seamus. And then the door flew open. The yeti-nurse grunted something and Seamus thanked him/her before the yeti threw something to him and left. It was a large black tee-shirt. He slipped it over his head and shooed Jack off the bed before swinging his legs over the side.

"You speak yetish?" Jack asked.

"Sorta. She said that North needed us in the Globe room and that I was free to go." He said, resting his bare feet on the floor. He sucked in a deep breath before pushing himself to his feet. He let out a cry of pain and almost collapsed, but Jack caught him and gave him a concerned look.

"Are you alright?" Jack asked.

"Never been better." Seamus hissed sarcastically. Seamus used him as a crutch as they made their way to the Globe Room.

"Look how fast they're going out." Tooth said, worried.

"It's fear. He's tipped the balance." Jack said. He walked up closer the globe. He looked at the lights going out, then back to the Guardians. There was a nervous tension in the room. Bunny twirled his boomerang.

"Hey, buck up ya sad-sacks. Come on! We can still turn this around! Easter is tomorrow and I need your help. I say we pull out all the stops and we get those little lights flickering again!"

* * *

A massive wooden door swing open; North lead Jack, Seamus, and the Guardians through the doorway, into an elevator, and through his factory.

"Bunny is right. As much as it pains me to say old friend, this time Easter is more important than Christmas!" North announced.

"Hey! Did everyone hear that?!" Bunn exclaimed, grinning.

"We must hurry to the Warren. Everyone, to the sleigh!" North yelled. Bunny stopped him with a smirk.

"Ohh no, mate. My warren my rules. Buckle up."


	10. Chapter 10

_**I wrote chapter 9 on my IPod, which is extremely difficult. So cut me some slack, Ciara. Sheesh. And FINE, to make you happy.**_

_**NerdyLittleCray : Awww, Leprefrost! Cute!**_

* * *

Jack, Bunny and Tooth arrived gracefully in the warren's antechamber, while North, Seamus, the elves, and the yetis came to a crashing halt. Seamus groaned, clutching his side with a pained look. Jack cringed and helped him up, supporting his weight.

"'Buckle up.' Is very funny." North remarked, sitting up and rubbing his back with a pout.

"Welcome to the warren-" Bunny stood before them when suddenly, he shifted his attention. He turned, his ears perked up, and his nose sniffed the air. "Something's up."

"Uh, wait..." Seamus said, now remembering the small girl who had stepped through him and into the portal. A faint scream began to echo from within the depths of one of Bunny's egg tunnels. Tiny eggs came scuttling out from the tunnel. Bunny grabbed his boomerang, North drew his sword, and Jack readied his staff as the sounds of booming footsteps, screams, and the rustling of foliage grew louder.

"Ahhhh!" Bunny began to charge toward the tunnel. At his side were the Guardians, yetis, and sentinel eggs all bellowing their loudest battle cries until-

"Wait!" Seamus screamed. Sophie bursted out. All momentum came to a halt.

"Sophie?" Jack said, confused. They immediately withdrew their weapons, mildly embarrassed. Sophie giggled and immediately ran after one of the elves.

"Elf, elf, elf!"

"What is **she** doing **here**?!" Bunny exclaimed, voice shaking. North looked down at his coat pocket.

"Ah, snow globe." Seamus said, rubbing his side and watching the tiny toddler run around.

"Crikey! Somebody do something!" Bunny said.

"Don't look at me, I'm invisible, remember?" Jack said, moving back beside Seamus. Sophie giggled as she dragged the elf by the bell atop its uniform.

"Don't worry, Bunny. I bet she's a fairy fan." Tooth flew up to Sophie. "It's okay little one."

"Pretty!" Sophie cooed.

"Awww! You know what, I got something for you. Here it is. Look at all the pretty teeth with little blood and gum on them." Sophie ran away screaming.

"Blood and gums?" Seamus chuckled.

"When was the last time you guys actually hung out with kids?" Jack asked, failing to hide his laughter. Meanwhile, Sophie is running around the warren, exploring and playing. Sophie pokes her head into a small tunnel.

"Peek-a-boo!" Sophie giggled.

"We are very busy bringing joy to children! We don't have time... for children." North said, mildly embarrassed. Jack formed a snowflake, twirling it between his fingers, before it floated over toward Sophie. She tried to grab at it.

"If one little kid can ruin Easter, then...we're in worse shape than I thought." Jack said. Sophie followed the snowflake as Jack lead it over to Bunny.

"Weeee! Weee, weee, weee!" The snowflake landed on Bunny's nose and his concerns suddenly seemed to slip away.

* * *

A flower opened to reveal an egg. The egg stood up wobbly on its spindly little legs. Sophie and Bunny looked on, Sophie amazed, Bunny proud.

"You wanna paint some eggs? Yeah?" Bunny asked.

"Okay!" Sophie chirped.

"Come on then!" Bunny cheered. Seamus stared at a massive stone spire, covered in moss, as thousands of unpainted eggs stream down the side of it toward a green meadow. North and Jack stood in the midst of it all, slack-jawed, as the eggs rushed towards them.

"Rimsky Korsakov! That's a lot of eggs." North gasped.

"Uh, how much time do we have?" Jack asked.

"I dunno... Whoa, check it out!" Seamus said, jogging off into the meadows. Jack chuckled and leapt off his staff before grabbing it and running after Seamus.

* * *

He found Seamus examining a small cave in which a few eggs were wandering. He shooed them towards the Guardians to be painted. Seamus straightened and a small smile played on his lips. Jack smiled back, walking forward slightly. They gazed at each other, just looking.

"Seamus... I'm sorry..." Jack suddenly said.

"For what?" Seamus mumbled.

"For leaving 12 years ago... I was scared..." He admitted guiltily.

"Of what?" Seamus asked. Jack closed his eyes.

"I thought you'd leave me." He said. Seamus chuckled.

"A bit late for that." He said. Jack smiled and looked back up at Seamus. He reached up and rested his hand on Seamus's cheek, almost shyly. He then dropped his staff, went up on tiptoe, and kissed him. Seamus was a bit taken aback, but responded by wrapping his arms around his waist. It was a simple, gentle kiss but it said a lot about the things the two had been through.

They pulled back to breath and smiled at each other, going cross-eyed to see each other as they rested their foreheads together. They lip-locked again, Jack tangling his fingers into Seamus's hair, and Seamus hooking his thumbs into the waist band of the younger spirit. They heard a gasp and broke apart, looking to the entrance to see a **very** flustered Tooth Fairy.

"Oh! Sorry, I'll just... be going now..." Tooth said, backing away. Jack blushed furiously while Seamus just chuckled.

"That's one way of coming out of the closet." He remarked, watching Tooth flutter away with an embarrassed look. Jack rolled his eyes and stooped to grab his staff.

"Easy for you to say." He said with pout. Seamus kissed his forehead and ruffled his hair affectionately. Jack grinned and they walked hand-in-hand out of the cave.

* * *

Bunny looked out proudly at the eggs gathered in front of the tunnels in the distance. Jack and Seamus approached from behind and made their way alongside Bunny, who held Sophie in his arms.

"Not bad." Jack said. Sophie yawned and began to fall asleep. Bunny turned to Jack with a smile.

"Not bad yourself." He said.

"Look, I'm sorry about that whole, you know, the 'kangaroo' thing."

"It's the accent, isn't it?" He said. The trio laughed, quietly so they wouldn't wake Sophie. North came up from behind with Tooth at his side. They turned toward Bunny, marveling at the sight of Sophie, fast sleep. It was touching. Bunny's face softened, as if remembering a distant memory. "Ah, poor little ankle-biter. Look at her, all tuckered out."

"I love her!" Tooth breathed. They look up from the sleeping toddler toward Jack, glad for what he had taught them. North noted their entwined hand with a smile and Tooth blushed at the sight but smiled. Bunny didn't seem to notice, or if he did, he didn't comment. "I think it's time to get her home."

"How about I take her home?" Jack suggested as Bunny handed the sleeping Sophie to Tooth.

"Jack, no! Pitch is-"

"-no match for this." Jack said, cutting Tooth off as he twirled his staff.

"Which is why we need you here, with us." Bunny said, glancing at Seamus on 'us'. He was worried about the spirit, his magic could only heal so much... The Guardians looked at Jack with concern.

"Trust me, I'll be quick as a bunny." Jack said, smiling. He released Seamus's hand and held out his arms for the sleeping toddler. Tooth reluctantly passed her over, then backed up to the others. The Guardians began to head down towards the tunnels, leaving the two spirits and the sleeping toddler alone. Seamus sighed, running a hand through his hair. Jack noticed the gesture and understood the significance. "Hey, don't worry. You'll be fine."

"I hope you're right, Jack." He sighed. He kissed Jack's forehead before making his way down towards the others. He watched Jack go with a worried frown. He had a **very** bad feeling about the situation...


	11. Chapter 11

**NerdyLittleCray, waaaaaat.**

* * *

Jack couldn't believe his eyes. Dozens of huge bird cages hung from the ceiling, and in them are the mini tooth fairies. They saw Jack, and immediately perked up, tweeting and flitting like crazy. Jack jumped up onto one of the cages, then quickly leapt and held onto the side of another one.

"Shhhh! keep it down." He whispered. He leapt to another cage. "I'm gonna get you out of here, just as soon as I-"

"Jack..." Jack turned away from the fairies, distracted.

"As I can..." He finished under his breath. Jack looked down and saw the tooth drawers from Tooth's Palace. Mounds of them heaped to the ceiling. And inside the drawers were the missing baby teeth. He dropped down to a mound and began rummaging through the drawers, looking at the names on the boxes. In an instant he forget his duties, and the fairies, and the Guardians, and Seamus, and everything except those teeth, and the chance to finally get his memories back. The cavern suddenly went darker than it already was. Jack finally looked up, as a shadow of Pitch crawls up a nearby column.

"Looking for something?"  
Jack swings around with his staff, shooting off a blast of ice, but Pitch isn't there. Jack takes off, following the sound of Pitch's cackle as it echoes throughout the chamber. Jack rounds a corner as he sees Pitch's shadow glided across the walls into a shadowed corridor.

"Don't be afraid, Jack. I'm not going to hurt you." Jack continued along a shadowed corridor.

"Afraid?" He repeated. Jack saw Pitch on a bridge across the cavern and headed after him. "I'm not afraid of you!"

"Maybe not. But you are afraid of something." Pitch said. Jack steadily approached, cautious and alert.

"You think so, huh?"

"I know so. It's the one thing I always know." Pitch finally turns to face Jack. "People's greatest fears. Yours is that no one will ever believe in you."

Panic flashed in Jack's eyes. As he backed away, the chamber filled with shadows, and Jack was spun around. He was disoriented as he thudded into a wall, which flipped to reveal that it was actually the ground. Pitch, unseen now, chuckled. Jack was unsure of where he was. He looked back to see the cavern entrance. He was right back where he started.

"And worst of all, you're afraid you'll never know why. Why you? Why were you chosen... to be like this?" Jack discovered that the entrance has been blocked with bricks as Pitch's shadow encroached on him. Pitch was now directly in front of Jack, holding out a tooth box. "Well fear not, for the answer to that... Is right here."

Jack's eyes widened at the sight. The face of a young boy with brown eyes and hair was etched into the box, and under it was the name 'Jack Frost.'

"Do you want them, Jack? Your memories?" Pitch asked innocently. He held them out to Jack. Jack stared, fighting the impulse to grab them. He closed his eyes, struggling to make a decision, but when he opened them again, Pitch had disappeared. Pitch's shadow moved across the pillars of the cavern. Jack headed down a corridor, shadows casted from the Mini Tooth cages everywhere.

"Everything you wanted to know..." Pitch's face moved in and out of the shadows. "...in this little box."

Every time Jack turned, Pitch disappeared. It was like Jack was trapped in a fun house. Multiple Pitch shadows appeared on the wall around Jack. They closed in on him.

"Why did you end up like this? Unseen. Unable to reach out to anyone. You want the answers so badly. You want to grab them, and fly off with them. But you're afraid of what the Guardians will think." Jack's breath quickened. He was pushed into a corner. "You're afraid of disappointing them. Well let me ease your mind about one thing. They'll never accept you. Not really. And Seamus... He'll leave you and move on to someone greater."

"Stop it! Stop it!" Jack screamed, trying to scramble away from the shadows that had overcome him. Almost reluctantly, the shadows backed away and Pitch appeared before Jack.

"After all, you're not one of them." Jack aimed his staff at Pitch

"You don't know what I am!" Jack yelled.

"Of course I do. You're Jack Frost. You make a mess wherever you go. Why, you're doing it right now." Pitch said. Pitch tossed the box to Jack, who instinctively caught it. Jack looked up. Terror came into Jack's eyes in realization.

"What did you do?" He asked.

"More to the point Jack, what did you do?" Pitch said. He began to back away, becoming one with the darkness, laughing as he disappeared. Jack charged towards him only to be swallowed whole by one of Pitch's black holes. Jack flew out of Pitch's shadow, ready to strike. Suddenly, Jack realized he'd forgotten something.

"Baby Tooth!" He turned to re-enter the hole in the wall only to find himself face to face with one of Bunny's stone emblems.

"Happy Easter, Jack." Pitch chuckled. Jack turned around. Suddenly, his eyes filled with dread as he realized where he was. Thousands of broken egg shells laid strewn about, forming a path toward the light at the end of the tunnel.

"No."

* * *

"I checked everywhere! There's nothing!"

"Yes there is! There is! I mean these aren't my best lookin' googies, but they'll do in a pinch! " Bunny held out a broken Easter egg. The kids just stared.

"I can't believe it."

"I know." Bunny said, smiling.

"There's no such thing as the Easter Bunny." The girl said. Bunny's face fell. The girl turned to leave.

"What?" He breathed.

"Easter's over. Forget this." It was only then that he realized he was too late. The spark of childhood had already been extinguished in all of them.

"No! Wrong! Not, not true! I'm right in front of ya, mate!" Bunny pleaded.

"There's no such thing. I know." The kids walked through Bunnymund as if he were a ghost. Bunny was stunned by this, and finally realized... "Now come on. I don't understand. Why wouldn't he come? Let's get out of here. Easter Bunny, where are you? This is the worst Easter ever."

"They don't see me. They don't see me." He whispered, sinking to the ground and holding his head in his hands. Jack watched it all unfold and it was heartbreaking, because he knew, or at least felt, it was his fault. Tooth flew to Bunny's side. Jack heard a rustle in the bushes behind him.

"Jack, where were you?" North asked. Jack saw North, with his scimitars drawn and having just come from battle. He was exhausted, wild-eyed, distraught. "The Nightmares attacked the tunnels. They smashed every egg, crushed every basket. Nothing made it to the surface."

"Jack!" Tooth gasped. Tooth rejoined the group. "W-Where did you get that?"

"I was...it's..." Jack looked down at the tooth box in his hand, then back to Tooth.

"Where's Baby Tooth? Oh Jack, what have you done?" Tooth said, horrified, betrayed.

"That is why you weren't here?" North stepped forward to confront Jack. "You were with Pitch?"

"No, listen, listen...I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen." Jack insisted.

"He has to go." Bunny said. Jack turned to see Bunny, disheartened.

"What?"

"We should never have trusted you!" He yelled. He raised a fist as if to strike Jack, but then turned away, forlorn. "Easter is new beginnings, new life. Easter is about hope... And now it's gone."

Bunny turned away and moved toward the park, looking at the sign that reads, 'Easter Egg Hunt.' It was like a punch in Jack's gut. He looked back to Tooth and North, both of whom looked away, too hurt by Jack. He looked at them with a pained expression. It was exactly what Pitch said would happen. Then he realized something and began to panic.

"Where's Seamus?" He asked. North gave him a sad, but still hurt, look.

"The Nightmares took him. You were with Pitch, you should know." He said, spitting the last sentence. Jack's eyes widened in horror. Jack reached into his pocket, pulled out the tiny Russian nesting doll that North had given him, dropped the doll to the ground, and took off.

* * *

"I hate you!" Seamus screamed, slamming a fist into Pitch's chest. Pitch merely rolled his eyes and stepped away from the angered and into the shadows.

"You should thank me. I saved you the trouble of Jack leaving you." Pitch said. Seamus growled.

"What did you do to him?"

"I merely enlightened him on how you would leave him for something greater one day, and how he would have to cut ties before that happened." Pitch said. Seamus's eyes began glowing. Little did he know, so did his side.

"You're horrible."

"Oh, no need to be afraid. And yes, you are afraid. Maybe not of me, but you're afraid I'm telling the truth. He will leave you, like **everyone** left you. You will be **alone**, and **unloved**." Pitch spat.

"You don't know that." Seamus said, shaking. A golden tear slipped past his barriers, and hit the floor. Pitch appeared in front of him, and brushed his cheek with a understanding look.

"How many more times will you need to cry these precious tears?" He cooed. Seamus snarled and lashed out with a dagger, nicking Pitch's cheek before he could completely duck. The dagger grew into a sword and Seamus let out a battle cry that shook the whole lair before leaping at Pitch. Said spirit was forced to duck and twist out of the way. He was actually intimidated by the angry glow of the blade.

"You don't know the hell I've been through! You don't have any right to insult my fears! I can tell you, I'm always afraid! Afraid of losing my friends, and family, f losing Jack! I'm afraid of my past! I'm afraid of my future! I'm afraid of a lot of things! But it just gives me another reason to kick your ass!" Seamus yelled, swinging with every sentence. Pitch dodged them, growing more and more panicked as the glow of Seamus's eyes and wounds began to spread through his entire body.

"How are you doing that?!" He yelped, backing away further. Okay, so kidnapping him into his lair... maybe not a good idea. Pitch called on his Nightmares, ordering them to knock out the furious. Seamus cut them down easily, but one got past his barriers and kicked him in the head. He fell to the ground, a trickle of golden blood leaking from the cut on his head. Pitch grabbed him and frowned at the healing wound on his side. Pitch ripped off Seamus's shirt and bandages and snarled at the almost fully healed wound. Pitch grabbed the sword that had fallen from Seamus's hand, and stabbed it into his side. Seamus cried out as the blade evaporated, and Pitch grabbed him by the throat. "Time for a little visit."


	12. Chapter 12

Jack ran to the edge of a floating iceberg, ready to throw his tooth box into the ocean. He resisted, looking down at the box as he clutched it in his hand. He'd never been more alone or upset in his life.

"I thought this might happen." Pitch stood not far behind Jack. "They never really believed in you. I was just trying to show you that. But I understand."

"You don't understand anything!" Jack screamed, whipping around and shooting a blast of frost at Pitch, but it was quickly deflected by the Nightmare sand.  
Jack continued to attack, lashing out with his staff. Pitch blocked the attacks of ice and frost - his control over the Nightmare sand had gained considerable strength.

"No? I don't know what it's like to be cast out?" Pitch shouted. Pitch struck back, putting Jack on the defense. Jack jumped in the air. Their show of force escalated until they were shrouded in a blanket of snow, ice, and wind. As the wind and snow settled, Jack looked around stern and alert. "To not be believed in. To long for a family." Jack turned around to find Pitch. There was a look of compassion on Jack's face as he listened. "All those years in the shadows I thought, no one else knows what this feels like.

"But now I see I was wrong." They locked eyes. It was a moment of true connection between them. It wasn't a trick. Pitch was actually making an offer. "We don't have to be alone, Jack. I believe in you. And I know children will too."

"In me?" Jack repeated.

"Yes! Look at what we can do!" Pitch exclaimed gleefully. He gestured to a fantastical ice and nightmare 'sculpture' that was created when Jack attacked him. "What goes together better than cold and dark?" Jack looked at the fractured reflections of themselves casted in the icy sculpture. "We can make them believe. We'll give them a world where everything, everything is..."

"Pitch black..." Jack deadpanned, turning to look at Pitch. Pitch, realizing how it looked, clarified...

"And Jack Frost too. They'll believe in both of us." Pitch said. Jack stared at him, considering the offer. Then finally...

"No, they'll fear both of us. And that's not what I want. Now for the last time, leave me alone." Jack said, turning and walking away. Pitch looked confused and hurt. It was not the response he was expecting. Then... his eyes flamed with anger. He made himself vulnerable, and Jack rejected him. No more negotiating now.

"Very well. You want to be left alone? Done. But first..." Pitch threw Seamus to the ground and held up Baby Tooth in his fist. Jack turned at the sound of Baby Tooth's twittering, and then look horrified. Seamus was losing blood, fast.

"Seamus! Baby Tooth!" Jack cried. Jack charged forward. Pitch made a blade of nightmare sand and held it above Seamus's chest.

"The staff, Jack!" Pitch yelled. Jack settled and the winds and snow subsided. "You have a bad habit of interfering. Now hand it over. And I'll let them go."

Baby Tooth twittered and shook her head. Seamus groaned and his eyes opened. He looked around, put 2 and 2 together, and looked to Jack. He shook his head. Pitch dug the blade in slightly and Seamus cringed. He squashed Baby Tooth tighter. Jack had no choice. Jack... handed over... the staff. Pitch twirled the staff.

"Alright, now let them go." Jack said.

"No. You said you wanted to be alone. So be alone!" Pitch shouted. Baby Tooth squirmed until she was finally able to peck Pitch in the hand with her beak. Pitch threw Baby Tooth in the air and down into the mouth of a crevasse. Seamus slapped the blade away and rolled to his feet. He swung at Pitch with a newly formed sword, and nicked his other cheek. Pitch shrieked with rage and attacked with a blast of Nightmare sand. Seamus, weak from blood lost, wasn't able to deflect it and was slammed into the mouth of a crevasse.

"No!" Jack, enraged, couldn't believe what he was seeing. Pitch lifted the staff, and broke it over his knee, cracking it in two. Light exploded from the staff and terror came into Jack's eyes, clutching his chest in pain. Suddenly, Pitch sent a burst of Nightmare sand, blasting Jack and slamming him into the iceberg wall behind him. As the ice cracked, Jack came loose and fell forward into the chasm below. Pitch looked down into the ice fissure chuckling. He threw the broken shards of Jack's staff down into the crevasse and casually walked away, disappearing on the horizon.

It was cold and dark down there, and Jack was more alone than he'd ever been. Battered from the fall, Jack slowly looked up and noticed Baby Tooth, lying lifelessly on the ground.

"Baby Tooth!" He called. He pulled himself to her and cradled her in his hands. "You alright?" Baby Tooth nodded, but she was hurt, and cold. Jack did his best to shield her from the cold, covering her with his hands, but she sneezed. "Sorry." Jack sat up and held Baby Tooth in his hands. "Pitch was right - I make a mess of everything."

Jack was devastated. Baby Tooth's had never seen him like this; it was heart breaking... then she got an idea. Her expression hardened with determination. She wriggled deep into his pocket.

"Hey?" He said. Jack leaned back and began to close his eyes when he heard something- "Jack... Jack..." -and then he felt something. He looked down: There was a soft, golden glow coming from his pocket. Jack jumped, taken aback. He reached in and pulled out the tooth box. It was pulsing with light.

"Jack..." Baby Tooth gave him a reassuring look. Baby Tooth motioned to the box, then looked back at Jack. Jack reached to touch the box, but as he did, its top magically unfolded to reveal a handful of baby teeth- then the box and everything else glowed bright with intense light...

* * *

Jack was left reeling from the memory. He saw Baby Tooth.

"Did you - did you see that?" She shook her head 'no' and tweeted 'of course not'!

"It - it was me! I had a family! I had a sister!" His excitement suddenly turned to realization. "I saved her!" He looked up at the opening above. The moon peeked out from behind the clouds. "That's why you chose me. I'm, I'm a Guardian."

The Moon seemed to shine a little brighter. Baby Tooth tried to take flight but she sputtered and landed back in the palm of Jack's hand.

"We have to get out of here and find Seamus." Jack said. Jack looked down at the two halves of his staff, and picked them up. He tried to fit them back together, but nothing happened. He tried again, this time using every ounce of strength left in him. Baby Tooth watched, her eyes widening, as a spark of blue light shot off the staff. Jack continued to push, until the icy blue light spreaded and melded the two ends of the staff back together. Jack smiled.

He took off flying through the crevice, looking for Seamus. When he saw him, he nearly fainted. There was golden blood **everywhere**. Smeared on the walls, pooling on the ground, staining his hair and clothes. Jack dropped his staff and knelt next to Seamus, eyes wide. He touched the side of his face, eyes watering.

"Seamus?" He whispered. He smoothed the hair out of Seamus's face. Jack cradled him in his arms and rocked him slightly. Maybe he was just unconscious like in the sleigh...

"Sorry, all I can do is keep you cold." He said, as if Seamus could hear him. He began sobbing, clutching Seamus tightly. Baby Tooth twittered, tugging on Jack's hair slightly, before crawling down his sweatshirt and onto the ground. She tweeted again.

"No, I'm not leaving him. I'm never leaving him again." Jack cried. He pressed a kiss to Seamus's forehead, and rested their heads togethers. He didn't notice as Seamus began glowing. But he did notice as the golden blood around them began to collect in the air. It formed the figure of Seamus, before the spirit in Jack's arms disappeared. The blood figure grabbed the clothes from Jack's lap and tugged them on, before there was a large flash of light.

"Hey." Seamus said, kneeling down in front of Jack. He brushed away one of his tears with his thumb and smiled. "I'm okay, you don't need to cry."

"Seamus, you son of a bitch!" Jack exclaimed, swatting his shoulder. "You never told me you could do that!"

"Well then... Ta-da!" Seamus said, giving a half-hearted jazz-hands. Jack laughed and tackled him in a hug, winding Seamus in the process. He chuckled and sat up, a hand on Jack's waist, the other propping himself up. The lip locked and Baby Tooth tweeted loudly, rolling her eyes. They broke away and laughed. Jack got up, pulling Seamus up too, and kicked his staff into his hand. Seamus scooped Baby Tooth into his hand and Jack wrapped an arm around his waist.

"Ready?"

"As I'll ever be."


	13. Chapter 13

**NerdyLittleCray, haha, I guessed as much. XD**

The Mini Teeth twittered as Jack jumped from cage to cage, opening them as he went. Jack opened another cage and noticed the fairies standing still.

"Come on, let's go." Jack looked around and noticed that all of the Minis were still in their cages. "What's wrong?!" The fairies were just standing around, listless. "None of you can fly?"

"The lights..." Seamus muttered, examining the globe. Jack landed on the ground, now standing before Pitch's Globe - and it looked almost completely devoid of light.

"They're all going out..." Jack said. Jack jumped up onto the globe to closely inspect the last light. Jack smiled. "Jamie!"

* * *

Jamie was sitting up in bed, talking to an old stuffed rabbit, and whispering.

"Okay look, you and I are obviously at what they call a crossroads, so here's what's gonna happen..." Jack and Seamus appeared outside Jamie's window and moved closer to get a better look. "If it wasn't a dream and if you are real, then you have to prove it. Like right now."

Jamie waited. He looked around expectantly. Jack looked on from outside the window, wondering if anything would happen.

"I've believed in you for a long time, okay? Like my whole life in fact. So you kinda owe me now." Jamie picks up his stuffed rabbit and holds it close. "You don't have to do much, just a little sign so I know. Anything. Anything at all." He waited... Nothing. "I knew it."

Jamie let the stuffed animal fall to the floor. Jack and Seamus came into the room and watched as the light slowly faded from Jamie's eyes, disbelief setting in. Jack didn't know what to do. He took a moment to concentrate, then entered the room. Then, Jamie noticed the window as the panes of glass froze over. The image of an Easter egg suddenly appeared...

"Huh?" Jamie looked down at the stuffed rabbit on the floor. He could barely comprehend what he was seeing. Jamie looked back to the window as more of the window panes frosted over. Jamie's eyes went huge with amazement. "He's real." Jack, excited, continued to exert himself trying to bring life to his drawing. And when he did, the frost rabbit comes leaping off of the window. "Whoa..."

The rabbit hopped around Jamie's room, bursting like a snowball over Jamie's head, the snowflakes sprinkling down on him.

"Whoa!" Jack and Seamus were as amazed as Jamie. But Jamie's amazement turned to confusion. "Snow?"

A snowflake landed on the tip of Jamie's nose. The snowflake glowed a magic blue. And in that moment a light came into Jamie's eyes - an idea started to take hold.

"Jack Frost?"

"Did he just say-?" Jack asked Seamus, too stunned to even finished his sentence. Jamie stood up on his bed.

"Jack Frost."

"He said it again. He said... You said..." Jamie turned around and suddenly his eyes went wide...

"Jack Frost." Jamie repeated.

"That's right! But-but that's me! Jack Frost! That's my name! You said my name!" Jamie's mouth dropped open. Only then did Jack realize... "Wait, can you hear me?" Jamie nodded. "Can you... Can you see me?" Jamie nodded. "He sees me. He sees me!"

Jack leapt for joy, backflipping onto the desk behind him, and the room suddenly exploded with snow. Jamie couldn't believe it.

"You just made it snow."

"I know!"

"In my room."

"I know!"

"You're real?"

"Yeah! Who do you think brings you all the blizzards and snow days, and you remember when you went flying on that sled the other day?!" Jack gushed.

"That was you?"

"That was me!"

"Cool!"

"Right?!"

"But what about the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy I mean-"

"Real-real-real! Every one of us is real!" Jack said, scooping up the rabbit and handing it to Jamie.

"I knew it! Oh, uh... you're leaking..." Jamie said, pointing to the ground where a few drops of gold pooled. Jack looked down, then up at Seamus in concern. Seamus realized that the kid was talking about him and looked at his stomach, then groaned in annoyance.

"Oh come on!" He complained. He clapped a hand over his reopened wound with a pout.

"Seamus..." Jack said, walking over and looking at the wound.

"Doesn't that hurt?" Jamie asked.

"Not really. It's just a pain in the a-" Jack clapped a hand over Seamus's mouth.

"No cursing! He can hear you!" Jack chided, grinning. Seamus looked over to an awed Jamie, who nodded. Seamus licked Jack's hand and he released his mouth, whipping his hand on his sweatshirt.

"Oh come on, Shea! Was that necessary?!" Jack whined. Seamus poked him in the forehead.

"Very." He replied.

"Quit flirting, I'm sitting right here!" Jamie said. The spirit exchanged surprised glances, then busted out laughing. Jamie laughed too.

"Jamie, who are you talking to?" Jamie's mom called from down the hall. Jack and Seamus looked to the door, then to Jamie.

"Um... Jack Frost and his friend?" Jamie answered.

"Okay..." She chuckled. Jack snickered.

"Ha, you don't get a name." He said. Seamus poked him in the stomach, causing him to squeal and swat at his hands. Suddenly, the sound of thunder and North's sleigh crashed outside. Jack, Jamie, and Seamus looked to the open window.


	14. Chapter 14

_**Place bets on Seamus's center now because it'll be revealed next chapter!**_

* * *

"Whoa, whoa, whoa..." North grunted. North and Tooth arrived on the sleigh completely out of control, and crash landed outside Jamie's house. The reindeer were separated from the sleigh and ran into the woods. A disheveled Tooth and North emerged from the wreckage.

"Ah, moi deti! Come back!" North called. As North stood, his back suddenly gave out.

"North! Are you okay?"

"Is official. My powers are kaput."

"Look! Jack!" Tooth exclaimed. Jack came flying toward them.

"Jack-!" Tooth falters and falls to the ground.

"You okay?" Seamus asked, extending a hand to help her up. She gasped.

"Seamus! You're okay!" She exclaimed gleefully. He glanced at his stomach, and Tooth cringed.

"Uh, yeah... for the most part..." He said, shrugging. The three greeted each other with a smile as North drew near.

"What are you doing here?" North asked.

"Same as you." Jack said. Jack looked off to the side as Jamie appeared from out of his backyard.

"The last light!" North gasped.

"Wow! It is you! I mean it is you! I knew it wasn't a dream." Jamie gushed. He looked back to Jack and Seamus with a huge smile.

"He sees you!" North said, smiling. Jack put a protective hand on Jamie's shoulder as Seamus wrapped an arm around Jack's waist. Jamie looked up at thm and smiled. Jack and North exchanged a look.

"Wait, but, where's Bunny?" Jack asked.

"Losing Easter took its toll on all of us. Bunny most of all." North said sadly. Jack's face went pale and Seamus's grip tightened slightly. North lowered his head in sadness. Then a twitchy-nosed little bunny appeared on the sleigh. Seamus busted out laughing.

"Oh...no..." Jack said, grinning.

"That's the Easter Bunny?" Jamie chuckled.

"Now somebody sees me! I mean, where were you about an hour ago, mate?" Bunny snapped.

"What happened to him? He used to be huge and cool! And now he's cute." Jamie said. Jamie gently tickled Bunny under his chin. Bunny began involuntarily thumping his paw.

"Oh, that's good." Bunny caught himself and pushed Jamie's hands away. "Did you tell him to say that?" Bunny hopped over and put up his fists, kicking at Jack's shins. "That's it! Let's go! Me and you! Come on!"

"No! Actually he told me you were real. Just when I started to think that maybe you weren't." Jamie said. Bunny stopped. Did he just hear that right?

"He made you believe? In me?" Bunny asked. The moment of reconciliation between them was broken by the sounds of thunder. The Guardians looked to the sky to see Pitch enveloped by dark clouds as he stared down at them from atop a writhing mass of Nightmare sand.

"Get Jamie out of here." Jack said, frowning.

"I'm coming with you." Seamus said, grabbing his hand.

"Shea, no. You're already hurt." He leaned up and pecked him on the lips before taking off.

"Be careful, Jack!" North called as Jack went flying directly at Pitch. Meanwhile, the Guardians took Jamie to find shelter. Seamus grabbed a roll of bandages from the sleigh as he ran past, knowing he'd need them.

* * *

Pitch's eyes flashed with anger at the sight of Jack coming toward him. Pitch sighed as he rolled his eyes and flew down to meet Jack head on.

"Jack Frost! Let's end this, shall we?" Jack sent a blast of ice and frost at Pitch as he barreled toward him. Pitch easily absorbed the attack with his Nightmare sand.

That little trick doesn't work on me anymore.  
Jack's plan backfires as Pitch charges ahead and unleashes a roaring fury of Nightmare sand that knocks Jack out of the sky.

* * *

Jamie, Seamus, and the Guardians did their best to avoid the patrolling Nightmares. North struggled to keep up. Seamus managed to wrap his stomach as he ran, and slipped it onto his wrist.

"Quick, this way this way!" Bunny led them down an alley, but it was no use. "Dead end. Other way other way!"

Jack suddenly fell from the sky, landed on a dumpster, and fell limp to the ground. He groaned in pain. The others turned their attention and winced.

"Jack!" Seamus yelped, running over. He helped Jack to his feet and held him up.

"That was good try, Jack! A for effort!" North said. If the situation weren't so serious, Seamus would've laughed.

"He's stronger. I can't beat him." Jack said. North and Tooth traded looks of concern. There was a menacing chuckle. The Guardians kept a watchful eye as Nightmare shadow streaked across the alley.

"All this fuss over one little boy. And still he refuses to stop believing." A crack of lightning revealed the shadow of an approaching Nightmare as the sounds of hooves clacking against the ground echoed from the opposite end of the alley. "Very well. There are other ways to snuff out a light."

Bulbs started bursting as the arm of a shadow moves across the remaining lights in the alley. There was terror in Jamie's eyes.

"If you want him, you're gonna have to go through me!" Bunny warned. With a finger raised, the shadow arm glided along the floor, curling around the back of Bunny.

"Look how fluffy you are! Would you like a scratch behind the ears?" Pitch cooed, genuinely laughing. Bunny jumped back into North's arms.

"Don't you even think about it!" Bunny snapped. Pitch came into view, riding atop Onyx. A gleeful smile was strewn across his face.

"I can't tell you how happy it makes me to see you all like this. You look awful. Especially you... Seamus?" He said, confused. He grinned.

"It's going to take a lot more than a sword to the gut to kill me." He said. The Guardians gathered around Jamie, to shield him from whatever may come.

"Jack, I'm scared." Jamie said. Seamus felt a surge of protectiveness. He had lost a lot of people in his life, he wasn't going to lose Jamie or the Guardians too.

"I know, I know. But you're gonna be alright... We're gonna have a little fun, instead." Jack was wide eyed in realization. Jamie gave Jack a questioning look. Pitch got closer. "That's it. That's my center."

"So what do you think, Jamie? Do you believe in the Boogiema-" A snowball suddenly hit Pitch in the face. Two Nightmares looked at each, unsure how to react. Jamie couldn't help but snicker and North lets out a chuckle. Jack looked around the alley. He spotted a wooden crate, a trash can lid, and a discarded wok amidst a pile of trash.

"Now let's go get your friends." Jack said. Pitch wiped the snow from his face and looked up to see a track of ice leading out of the alleyway. Jack, Seamus, Jamie and the Guardians were gone.


	15. Chapter 15

_**Last chance to guess his center! There's a hint in chapter 8**_

_**Guest-kcr, aww thanks**_

* * *

A terrified Cupcake laid in bed awake. The Guardians' reflections streaked across the window when suddenly, BOOF! A snowball struck the pane of glass. Cupcake pulled the covers down to find that it's suddenly snowing inside her room. As the snow circled around Cupcake's head, she sat up and smiled.

* * *

Pippa sat in bed amazed as it snowed in her room. She heard a knock at her window and moved toward it to find Jamie floating outside. She threw open her window and looked down to the ground to reveal that they were two stories up.

"Jamie, how are you doing that?!"

"Jack Frost! Come on, we need your help!" Jamie took off flying down the street, and as a snowflake landed on her nose she suddenly sees him.

"Hey is, is that?"

"Jack Frost! And Seamus!"

"Who's Seamus?" Pippa asked. She looked up to see Monty across the street with his head out the window and snow coming down in his room, a gaping smile across his face. Seamus appeared beside him and waved.

* * *

Caleb and Claude sat up in bed in amazement, staring at the snowflakes as they stream down from the ceiling.

"Huh?!" Claude said. The twins looked down to find neatly wrapped gifts at the feet of their beds as a jolly voice bellowed in the distance.

"Merry Christmas!" The twins opened their window, amazed to see their heroes sled past.

"Happy Easter!" Bunny called.

"Don't forget to floss!" Caleb looked to his brother, dumbfounded. Suddenly Cupcake skidded past, laughing and screaming on her own sled.

"Cupcake?"

* * *

"Yeah!"

"Jamie you were right!

"The Easter Bunny's real!"

"And the Tooth Fairy!"

"And Santa!"

"They're all real!"

* * *

Jack, Seamus, the Guardians, and the children all came to gliding halt on their sleds. They looked up to see Pitch standing atop a building with a confident smile, while the clouds stir behind him. Monty, late to the party, came running joyously past Jamie and the Guardians who stood in grim silence as they stared up at the sky.

"Whoa, yeaaaaaaaah!" He then saw Pitch and made U-Turn. "Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!

"You think a few children can help you? Against this!" Pitch spat. The Nightmare sand storm descended from the sky. North drew his sword, but the weight of the blade pulled him down. He could barely stand. Jack moved to North's side as they looked back to Jamie, noticing the concern on his face.

"They're just bad dreams, Jamie." Jack said.

"And we'll protect you, mate." Bunny added.

"Aww, you'll protect them. But who will protect you?" Pitch laughed.

"I have to turn myself in." Jack whispered.

"No." North said.

"If I do, he'll spare the kids. I'm the only threat left."

"That means I turn myself in too." Seamus said.

"Shea, you're hurt." Jack reminded him. Suddenly, Seamus realized something and he smiled.

"I'm not powerless though." He said. He eyes glowed, and so did the Jamie's. Jack looked down in surprise as Jamie stepped forward in front of him.

"I will." He said. Suddenly, Jamie's friends' eyes began to glow too, and they moved to join him.

"I will." Cupcake said.

"I will. **I**will." The twins said, still bickering.

"And me." Pippa said.

"I'll try." Monty said reluctantly. The Guardians were amazed as they watched the kids squeeze past them, glancing between them and Seamus.

"Still think there's no such thing as the boogeyman?" Pitch said. Pitch's wave of Nightmare sand snaked its way through town causing destruction wherever it went and converged toward a single point as it headed straight toward the kids.

"I do believe in you. I'm just not afraid of you." Jamie thrusted out his hand toward the Nightmare wave. His friends followed suite, just as the Nightmare sand smashed into them. As it made contact, the black sand... bursts into streams of golden Dreamsand.

"Whoa...whoaaaa!" Everyone was amazed, hardly believing their eyes. Streams of Dreamsand swirled around the children. And then it was pandemonium. The Nightmares bucked and jumped as the sand made its way past them. Pitch watched, aghast, as his precious Nightmares transform back into golden Dreamsand and made its way across town. Tooth, amazed, watched as her wings suddenly flutter with a resurgence of strength and energy. She took off and flew past the kids who cheered her on.

"Yeah, Tooth Fairy! Whooaaa!" North's eyes widened. He straightened his back and unsheathed his scimitars as color returned to his face.

"Whoa, yeah!" Monty cheered.

"No! Get them!" Pitch yelled. Pitch gave a signal and sent another wave of Nightmares toward the Guardians. "Do your jobs!"

Seamus grinned as his golden glow enveloped him, and pulled a sword from his wound.

"That's new." Jack said, smirking. Seamus winked and cut down any Nightmares that came close as he and Jack ran towards Pitch. Bunny looked at himself, waiting to be transformed.

"Oh yeah, come on, come on!" When suddenly he was pursued by three snarling Nightmare. "Oh, crikey!"

Bunny took off running. North threw two snowglobes down to the ground, through which an army of yetis and elves emerge.

"No way!" The twins laughed. Bunny tried to scurry under a parked car in order to evade the attacking Nightmares, but he was snatched by his tail before he could get away.

"I'm just a bunny!" He yelped. Suddenly, Bunny transformed back to his normal size and whipped out his boomerangs while being held upside down.

"G'day, mate!" Bunny kicked the Nightmare, flipped into the air, and threw his boomerangs which sliced through the other Nightmares, turning them to dust. Bunny drummed his feet on the ground and an army of sentinel eggs suddenly rose up out of the earth. Caleb found himself riding on top of one as they joined the yetis and elves in battle.

"Whoa!"

"Come on! Wooooohoooo!" Bunny called. Elves riding toy ducks and planes came flying in overhead like bombardiers, turning Nightmares into puffs of black sand as they flew through them. The kids looked to see a Nightmare charging toward them, only to stop in it's tracks once the kids turned to face it.

"Let's get 'em!" Cupcake yelled.

"Aaaaaahhhhhh!" The kids, accompanied by two elves in a bike and side car, charged an incoming Nightmare. The elf behind the wheel lunged toward it, biting at its haunches.

"Come on guys, we can do it!" The kids put their hands on the Nightmare, turning it to Dreamsand. Pitch looked down with a smile at the chaos in the streets below. Suddenly, Pitch turned toward a noise to see Jack and Seamus on the roof. Jack quickly sent a streak of frost toward Pitch's Nightmares, disabling a few of them, while Seamus threw multiple knives at once, taking out the Nightmares surrounding Pitch.

The Guardians turn toward the explosions of ice and snow taking place atop the surrounding buildings.

Pitch began to charge and responded with an attack of his own. Jack and Seamus jumped to an adjacent roof as Jack let out another blast of ice and Seamus let another dagger fly.

"All yours, mate." Bunny tapped his foot on the ground and created a rabbit hole for North and himself to travel through.

Jack ran into Pitch as he rounded the corner of a chimney. Pitch let a Nightmare arrow fly, which was suddenly deflected by Tooth as she flew through the area and took out a few Nightmares of her own.

"Thanks, Tooth!" Jack called. Suddenly, Bunny came flying out of a nearby chimney, drawing his boomerang as he landed.

"Ho, ho, HO!" He said, throwing his boomerangs. The new Nightmares surrounding Pitch exploded into dust as the boomerang tore through them.

North shot out of a bunny hole, his scimitars at the ready, only to have landed on a roof some distance from the Guardians.

"Hyah!" North bellowed. He then looked around. "Wrong roof."

Pitch tried to escape the attacking Guardians and slipped into a nearby shadow, emerging through the side of the building. North jumped off the roof to greet him mid-air with his scimitars.

Pitch was knocked to the ground. As he got to his feet he formed a scythe with his Nightmare sand and began crossing swords with North. In an instant Pitch found himself surrounded by the Guardians. Each of them took their turn to deal Pitch a few humiliating blows.

* * *

Jamie looked over Caleb's shoulder as a wisp of Dreamsand left his palms and rose into the air.

"Look at that!" Caleb said. Jamie was hit by an idea.

"I got it. I know what we have to do! Guys, come on!" Jamie led his friends as they followed the streams of Dreamsand down the street toward the growing mass of golden sand.

* * *

The Guardians advanced toward Pitch.

"It's over Pitch! There's no place to hide." Jack said. Pitch gave them a wry smile and quickly descended into the shadows, casting multiple versions of himself along the alley walls. Suddenly, in their moment of distraction, Pitch rose up behind Jack, his Nightmare sand axe in hand.

"Jack, look out!" Bunny called. Seamus sheltered Jack with his body and the other Guardians looked on in horror as-

A golden whip wrapped itself round Pitch's hands. Seamus followed the whip to reveal Sandy, coalescing from the funnel cloud of Dreamsand. He gave Pitch a look, wagged his finger, and then uppercutted him into the air.

"Whoa! The Sandman!" Sandy looked off to the side to where Jamie and his friends have gathered. He formed a Dreamsand hat and tipped the cap to Jamie. Jamie, gleeful, waved back to Sandy as his friends stood behind him in awe.

"Man, this is so cool! Yeah, alright! Wahoo! Wow!" Sandy then looked to his whip and tugged on it, slamming Pitch into the ground and knocking him out. The Guardians cheered as they welcome Sandy's return.

"Welcome back, old friend!" North cheered.

"Sandy." Jack said, stunned. Seamus chuckled and took his hand.

"Oh, Sandy. You're alright!"

"Sandy, come here!"

"Yeah!"

"Mate, you are a sight for sore eyes!" Sandy floated into the air, and shot streams of Dreamsand in every direction.


	16. Chapter 16

As Dreamsand creatures filled the streets, the Guardians and children rejoiced.

"Yeah!"

Jamie stood in awe of a school of beautiful Dreamsand fish as they floated by. Suddenly, he was hit in the head with a snowball. He turned to look and saw Jack, smiling. Jamie picked up a snowball and threw it at his friends. Almost instantaneously, a snowball fight ensured.

"Oh yeah? Bring it on!" Sandy saluted Jack, Seamus, and North, who were standing off to the side while the snowball fight escalated.

"Your center?" North asked.

"It took awhile, but I figured it out." Jack said. He looked to Seamus. "What about you? What was that glowy-eye trick?"

"My center."

"Which is?"

"Loyalty." Seamus said, as if it were obvious. North tossed Jack and Seamus each a small item. They caught it and looked to their open palms. They were Russian nesting dolls in the image of them, similar to those in North's workshop. They smiled and North gave a wink in return.

BOOF! North was suddenly hit by a snowball and turns. He saw Claude, Caleb, and an elf; they immediately pointed fingers at each other.

"Ooohhh." There was a moment of silence, until North bursted out in laughter.

"You're all on naughty list. Bunny, think fast!" He threw a snowball, which hit Bunny smack in the face.

Pitch groaned in pain, and rose up to see the town crawling with Dreamsand creatures, snowballs flying and yetis playing.

"No." He whipped around to see the kids, having the time of their lives, with no fear in their eyes. He rose up, his entire body shaking with rage, and screamed at them. "You dare have fun in my presence! I am the Boogeyman! AND YOU WILL FEAR ME!" He lunged at Jamie who came running toward him, Pitch's hands outstretched as if he was going to grab him by the throat. But Jamie ran right through him, laughing, joyous. "Noooo!" Pitch gasped, realizing that he no longer had any power over the children. The devastation plays across his face. "No."

He saw the Guardians approach, standing side by side with one another. Pitch turned and fled into the forest. Pitch ran through the shadows in terror. He came crashing through the trees of the forest, and out onto the ice of the pond. He looked over his shoulder to see if the Guardians were on his tail, when BAM! He ram smack into North's chest, causing Seamus to snicker. Pitch slipped on the ice, and fell backwards. He looked up to see North smiling down at him.

"Leaving the party so soon?" North said innocently.

"You didn't even say goodbye." Tooth said. Tooth tossed something to Pitch which he caught. He looked down.

"A quarter?" A fist punched him right in the jaw, and a single tooth went skittering across the ice. Tooth shook out her hand.

"And that's for my fairies." She said with a cocky smile.

"You can't get rid of me! Not forever! There will always be fear!" Pitch said, scowling.

"So what? As long as one child believes, we will be here to fight fear!" North announced.

"Really? Then what are they doing here?" Hundreds of Nightmares emerged from the woods, surrounding the pond. It was terrifying, but the Guardians seem unphased.

"They can't be my Nightmares, I'm not afraid anymore." Seamus said, smiling.

"Looks like it's your fear they smell." Jack said. Suddenly, Pitch's eyes went huge with terror as the Nightmares moved in on him. He began to back away, but the Nightmares picked up speed as they charged toward him.

"Ahhh, no...AAAAAHHHHHH!" He tried to run, but it was impossible to get his footing on the ice. He faltered, and was swept up in the stampede of Nightmares. The streaks of black whip and latched themselves onto Pitch as the black cloud carried him through the forest. "No, no, nooooooo!"

Pitch struggled to escape, but the mass of black sand pulled him deep into the forest, under the frame of the broken bed, and back down into the dark depths of the underground. He looked up at the moon as he disappeared and the hole in the earth sealed itself up, dragging in the rest of the bed.

The moon... Pale and faint in the day, but oddly close and welcoming. Jack smiled as he looked up at it. He heard Tooth's laugh and turned to find North, Tooth, Bunny and Sandy, their faces shining with pride, and Seamus. Jack and Seamus smiled at one another before kissing. Bunny looked shocked. Apparently he hadn't picked up on them... The kids pulled faces that said 'ew!' as it deepened.

"Boys! There are children! Tooth chided. They pulled apart with laughs.

"Are you ready now? To make it official." North asked. Jack and Seamus looked over, a stern elf was hitting a horn against his palm. A Yeti handed North the book from when the spirits and the Guardians first met. Sandy and Bunny shared a boastful look. "Then is time you take Oath." North opened the book, flipped through several pages, and took a moment before he spoke.

"'Will you, Jack Frost and Seamus O'reiley... vow to watch over the children of the world?'" Jamie and his friends along with a crowd of yetis, elves, and eggs all made their way across the pond to the rest of the group. Jamie stood at the center of the group. "'To guard them with your life - their hopes, their wishes, and their dreams? For they are all that we have, all that we are and all that we will ever be.'" Jack took a second to look back at Jamie, then back to North.

"We will." They said in unison.

"Then congratulations, for you are now and forevermore... Guardians." Jamie and the kids erupted in a cheer, as did the Yetis and Eggs.

"Oh man! Woo! Yeah, Jack! Yeah, Jack! Seamus! Yeah! Wooo!

"Yippa!"

"Yeah! Wooo! Good job, mate. Good job!"

"Alright! Go Seamus! Yeah! Go, Jack! Alright! Woo. Alright!"

"Klasno!" North picked up Jack and Seamus, gave them a hug, and kissed them on both cheeks. Jack winced, then looked up to North with a smile, while Seamus just laughed.

"That's my boy! Woo!"

"Alright! Yeah! Awesome!"

Imitating North, an elf picks up the elf standing next to him and gives him a big kiss. After an awkward pause, the affectionate elf is punched in the face. Jack looks to see several fairies hovering nearby, forming the shape of a heart. One of the swooning fairies faints and falls to the ground.

"Keep it together, girls." Tooth said, smiling.

"You did it! Wooo! You're in the Guardians! Yay! Yeah! You earned it! Yay! Awesome, yay!"

"You guys, look!" Caleb gasped.

"That's Santa's sleigh." Monty exclaimed. The group looked up to the sky as North's sleigh came in for a landing. The tie-dyed elf rescued a lone egg from the skids of the sleigh as it glided across the icy pond.

"Wow, it's real. That is wicked! Whoa, that was awesome! Ohh...can you believe this? Whoa, did you guys see that? That's awesome! Wow! Whoa!"

"Everyone loves the sleigh." Bunny remarked to North, who chuckled.

"Wow! Look at that! So totally insane!" North turned away from Bunny and put his hand on Jack's shoulder.

"Time to go." He said. As the kids looked on in wonder, Sandy threw up his hands creating a shower of Dreamsand, which drifted down on the children.

"Whoa! It's beautiful. Wow, that was awesome!" Meanwhile, Bunny handed an egg to Sophie who giggled and patted the brim of his nose.

"Happy Easter ya little anklebiter. I'm gonna miss yah."

"Bye, bye, bunny." She cooed. Jamie realized what was about to happen.

"You're leaving? But, what if Pitch comes back?" Jamie asked. Jack looked back at Jamie, who seemed wistful and worried. What if we stop believing again? If I can't see you-"

"Hey, hey, slow down, slow down." Jack knelt down to look Jamie in the eye. "You telling me you stop believing in the moon when the sun comes up?"

"No." Jamie said.

"Okay, well do you stop believing in the sun when clouds block it out?" Jack asked.

"No." Jamie said, smiling.

"We'll always be there, Jamie. And now...we'll always be here." He pointed to Jamie's heart. "Which kind of makes you a Guardian too." Jamie smiled. Jack stood up and headed toward the sleigh. Jamie's friends stood off to the side rubbing their eyes as they became drowsy.

"I can't keep my eyes open. I think I gotta go home. Let's go home. What time is it? I'm sleepy."

"Jack!" Jamie ran over and wrapped his arms around Jack's waist. For a moment, Jack was astonished and then sank down to give Jamie a warm embrace. Jack stood up and got in the sleigh with the rest of the Guardians.

"Hyah!" North yelled. Jack and the Guardians looked toward the kids as the sleigh took off. Jamie ran behind the sleigh, following Jack. In spite of it all, he didn't want to let go. The sleigh took off into the sky. Jamie stopped unable to follow.

"Woooo! Yeah! Yay!" The kids cheered. Seamus, at the back of the sleigh, swore slightly as a his blood began to leak through his bandages, and a drop fell. He watched as it plunked onto Jamie's forehead. His eyes widened, flashing gold, and then he smiled.

Jack moved to the back of the sleigh as the Guardians patted him on the back. Seamus nudged him.

"So, what do you want to do when we get back?" Seamus asked. Jack grinned, his usual mischief returning to his eyes full force... and formed a snowflake in his hand. It glided off his fingertips and flew off.

"Let's have some fun."

* * *

_**Ahhhh! I miss this story already ;-;**_

_**Oh well. Thank you guys for being so supportive and reviewing! You guys are great! **_


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